Do fungi survive passage through the intestines of birds & mammals?

Question

When a fungus or spore is contained in the food or water consumed by animals, does that spore typically grow in the f***s deposited by the animal? In agriculture, is this ever used to intentionally propagate beneficial or useful fungi (e.g., truffles, mycorrhizal fungi)?

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/02/060201232838.htm

http://agroecology.ifas.ufl.edu/nematophagous%20fungi/Beneficial%20Soil%20fungi.htm

Answer 1

Nobody feeds mushrooms to horses to propagate the mushrooms,but we do sprinkle spore on horse manure after it is excreted.

I think that would be general practice, if you have spores to spread, you put them on the substrate they would consume. There does not appear to be a strong reason to move that mixing to food.

A strongly acidic stomach might not kill the spores.

But might we not preserve the effect of growing hemp if we left hemp growing in a separate field, and used a forage harvester to provide a hemp green manure just to keep the fungi fed?

It might be advantageous to till this into soil surface lightly. There may be no particular reason to bring animal/bird into the delivery system if the hemp itself is the most significant part of the food they need.

Answer 2

yes they do

Answer 3

'Candida' is the popular term for an overgrowth of candida - a condition known to medical doctors as 'intestinal candidiasis' when found in the intestines or 'systemic candidiasis' when found elsewhere in the body. It was first diagnosed by American physicians in the 1970s.

When we are healthy, candida lives (in its yeast form) in our intestines where it competes with bacteria for room.

So Candida are fungi that grow in intestines, readily.  But mycorrhizae?  Good question .. tough to answer.  They don't normally use animals necessarily to go through their life cycle.