ITS-RFLP Matching for Identification of Fungi

Abstract

Fungi are an incredibly diverse and nearly ubiquitous group of eukaryotes. Estimates put their numbers higher than 1.6 million species (1). They have been identified traditionally by morphological differences in their sexual or asexual reproductive structures. However, such structures are often not produced at times and places in which one might want to identify a particular fungus. This combination of diversity, omnipresence, small size, and missing structures makes the fungi ideal candidates for polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based identification methods.