Cultured isolate Aspergillus fumigatus UD1 [Image credit: Ross Klauer]

Aspergillus fumigatus UD1 was isolated from the gut of the larvae of Tenebrio molitor, as part of CSP-EMSL 2022 proposal 508042 "Plastic Degrading Microbial Communities from Insect Larvae Guts."

Insect microbial consortia are attractive platforms for plastics deconstruction and conversion as they degrade plastics more rapidly than microbial isolates and do not require pretreatment. While several bacterial members of these communities have been identified, the specific pathways responsible for biodegradation remain to be elucidated and the potential contributions of fungal members are unexamined. More importantly, emerging evidence suggests a role for microbial interactions in the rate of plastics degradation.