Isolation and Enumeration of Mycophagous Protist

Protists can prey upon other smaller organisms such as bacteria and fungi. Their feeding actions are of utmost importance in driving the microbial loop and food web. The bacterial communities are suggested as their main prey, but it is not the sole major determinant. Mycophagous/fungivore protists are more widespread and abundant in different soils and could be ciliates, flagellates, and amoeba. Mycophagy is widespread due to development of specialized enzyme system to digest fungi. The mycophagous protists developed a specialized structure like a feeding tube to perforate the cell wall of yeasts, fungal hyphae, and spores to take up their content. Diverse morphologies of yeast and filamentous fungi induce distinct killing and feeding mechanisms in mycophagous protists. Mycophagous protists constitute a reservoir of biocontrol agents that could directly consume fungal pathogens. The present protocol summarizes the isolation and enumeration of mycophagous protists.