BIODETERIORATION OF CONCRETE BY THE FUNGUS FUSARIUM

The bacterial genus Thiobacillus is known for its ability to degrade c oncrete. A fungus was isolated from concrete samples and identified as a Fusarium species. Our data indicate that fungi also play an importa nt role in the deterioration of concrete. We observed both weight loss and release of calcium when concrete was exposed to our isolate. Fung al degradation proceeded more rapidly than Thiobacillus-mediated degra dation. Our study suggests that interaction between fungal metabolites and calcium in the concrete results in the formation of soluble calci um organic complexes. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserv ed.