Isolation and identification of fungi tolerant to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and coal tar from different habitats in Lithuania.

A group of 36 fungal strains, belonging to the Lithuanian mycobiota, was collectedand isolated from different locations, habitats, and matrices, including creosote-treatedwood in storage yards for crosstie wastes. The eight most perspective strains selectedaccording to preliminary assessment of tolerance to coal tar were subsequentlyidentified combining taxonomical evaluation and molecular techniques. The toleranceof the eight identified fungal species (five basidiomycetes and three ascomycetes) tothe presence of various concentrations of coal tar, and for the four most perspectivefungal strains (Pleurotus sp., Schizophyllum sp., Irpex lacteus, Bjerkandera adusta) topolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons was evaluated. The ligninolytic enzymatic activityassay of the isolated strains resulted in a good correspondence between the toleranceto pollutants and the capability to produce ligninolytic enzymes indicating that thisgroup of white-rot fungi is perspective for further investigation and eventual usage formycoremediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons polluted substrates.