Cholesterol degradation by some microorganisms isolated from different Egyptian cultivated soils

Twenty fungal isolates belonging to four genera and eleven species and eleven bacterial isolates were isolated from different cultivated soils. These isolates were capable of utilizing cholesterol as a sole source of carbon. The bacterial isolates more active in cholesterol decomposition than fungal isolates. The highest cholesterol degradative activity and bacterial biomass was recoreded by Mycobacterium fortuitum being on [g/l] cholesterol 1.5, CaCO3 2.5, and yeast extract 5.0. The favorable incubation period was three days at 30C and pH 7.0