Investigation and analysis of microbiological communities in natural Ophiocordyceps sinensis

Ophiocordyceps sinensis is a fungus that parasitizes caterpillars, and more than 30 species of filamentous fungi have been isolated from its fruiting body. However, its microbiological diversity remains unclear. Based on the clone library and quantitative PCR techniques, the bacterial flora and mycobiota of 3 different samples (larva, stromata/sclerotia, and surface soil) from natural O. sinensis specimens were investigated using primer sets that targeted the 16S rRNA gene and internal transcribed spacer region of ribosomal DNA. The results showed that the abundance of bacterial and fungal communities in the soil attached to the surface of O. sinensis was (6.4 ± 1.4) × 10 6 and (6.0 ± 0.3) × 10 7 copies/g dry matter, respectively, which was the highest compared with that in the larva and stromal samples. The main groups of bacteria in the O. sinensis samples were Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria, while Ascomycota was the most dominant fungal group in the 3 samples. At the genus level, Geomyces, Phoma, and Trichocladium were the dominant genera in the larval sample, while Geomyces and Cladosporium were the dominant genera in the stromal sample. In conclusion, a great number of bacterial and fungal species were present in naturally occurring O. sinensis specimens, and there was a high diversity of bacterial and fungal communities. These findings contribute to the understanding of the bacterial and fungal community structure of this valuable medicinal fungus and lay the foundation for the future discovery of new medicinal microorganism resources.