Identification of Trichoderma strains by image analysis of HPLC chromatograms

Forty-four Trichoderma strains from water-damaged building materials or indoor dust were classified with chromatographic image analysis on full chromatographic matrices obtained by high performance liquid chromatography with UV detection of culture extracts. The classes were compared with morphological identification and rDNA sequence data, and for each class all strains were of the same identity. With all three techniques each strain – except one – was identified as the same species. These strains belonged to Trichoderma atroviride (nine strains), Trichoderma viride (three strains), Trichoderma harzianum (10 strains), Trichoderma citrinoviride (12 strains), and Trichoderma longibrachiatum (nine strains). The odd strain was identified as Trichoderma hamatum by morphology and rDNA sequencing, but not by image analysis as no reference strains of this species were included. It is concluded that the secondary metabolite profile contains sufficient information for classification and species identification.