Mr Taygen Fuchs
MSc student | |
Department |
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Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology |
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Member of:
My Supervisor/s
Primary Supervisor | |
Brenda Wingfield | |
Co Supervisor |
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Cobus Visagie | |
Mike Wingfield |
My current research focuses on exploring the fungal communities associated with South African gold mines. Specifically, we are interested in the human pathogen Sporothrix schenckii, which has a history of causing disease among gold miners. Therefore, utilizing a Dilution-to-extinction culturing approach, we aim to isolate the pathogen, while simultaneously exploring the mines fungal diversity.
I joined FABI in 2022, where under the supervision of Prof. B Wingfield, my honours project focused on two closely related plant pathogens of the genus Berkeleyomyces. The work focused on re-identifying the Berkeleyomyces species found on different hosts within South Africa, with the pathogens previously collectively identified as Thelaviopisis basicola. Furthermore, we designed a set of polymorphic microsatellite markers for the two species, to facilitate future research on the population structure and genetic diversity of the pathogens.