The purpose of this study was to isolate fungi from the quarter milk o
f cow udders from several dairy herds and to identify the different ge
nera and species involved in mastitis. A total of 2078 milk samples fr
om normal, clinical and subclinical mastitis quarters from 22 dairy he
rds of 16 districts in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil was utilized in
this survey. Two hundred and fifty one (12.07%) fungi were isolated fr
om the samples. Two hundred and eight of these (82.86%) were yeasts an
d 30 (11.95%) were moulds. The fungi were isolated in pure culture (24
.77%) or in cultures mixed with bacteria (72.22%). The yeasts isolated
were: Cryptococcus spp. (71 strains), Rhodotorula spp. (40), Candida
spp. (68), Trichosporon cutaneum (21), Aureobasidium pullulans (7), an
d Pichia ohmeri (1). Moulds classified in following genera were also i
solated: Aspergillus (3), Penicillium (3), Alternaria (3), Phoma (3),
Epicoccum (2), and Geotrichum (16).