Molecular Identification of Anaerobic Gut Fungi Isolated from Mountain Goats

Anaerobic Gut Fungi (AGF) are found in the Neocallimastigomycota phylum, and it is known that these fungi play an important role, especially in the digestive system of herbivores, as they are the main colonies in the consumption of feed. AGFs provide digestion by breaking down plant tissues with the help of lignocellulosic enzymes they secrete. These enzymes have also been used in the food and feed industry in recent years. In this respect, fungi isolated and identified from different ruminant animals are valuable. In this study, fungi were isolated from mountain goats living in the wild in the Tunceli region and identified morphologically and molecularly. The ITS region of ap-proximately 1500 bp was used in molecular identification. It was determined that 9 isolated fungi belonged to the genera Orpinomyces sp. (AGF-5), Feramyces sp. (AGF-8,10) and Neocallimastix sp. (AGF-1,2,3,4,7,11). Further studies are needed to determine the microbial population in wild ruminant animals.