Los Gatos Creek Rodent Burrow Soil Mycobiome

To investigate the relationship between soil fungal communities and the presence of Coccidioides, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS2) region of fungal ribosomal DNA was sequenced using amplicon sequencing, following DNA extraction from 28 rodent burrow soil samples collected along Los Gatos Creek in Coalinga, California. This region was amplified using the 5.8SFun (AACTTTYRRCAAYGGATCWCT) and ITS4Fun (AGCCTCCGCTTATTGATATGCTTAART) primers, as outlined in previous research. The samples were also tested for the presence of Coccidioides using the CocciENV qPCR assay. The aim of the study was to explore if variations in the fungal communities in the soil are linked to the detection of Coccidioides, a pathogenic fungus that causes Valley fever. This research could provide insights into the environmental conditions that favor the proliferation of Coccidioides in natural settings.