Some aspects of the ecology and physiology of bacteria and fungi in the fleece

Abstract

The microbiology of wool has been little studied either as a subject in itself or from the very many facets which go to make up the whole subject of microbiology. Although the presence of micro-organisms has been recognised in the wool of sheep they have usually been considered as being temporary contaminations. In fact wool is a habitat for micro-organisms just as are soil or sewerage. In this work on the microbiology of wool two aspects in particular have been studied. First, the staining of the fleece by pigments produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and, second, a black discolouration of the tips of the fibres caused by the fungus Peyronellaea glomerata. These two organisms are very different in their requirements. Ps. aeruginosa being found close to the skin whilst the P. glomerata grows exposed to the environment on the distal portion of the staple. For convenience, the thesis has been divided into two parts - Part I. A Review of Literature, and Part II. Experimental Results. Because the microbiology of wool is an infrequently studied subject a brief introduction to the structure, growth and the compounds associated with it has been included.