Isolation ofCryptococcus neoformans var.neoformans from bird droppings, fruits and vegetables in Mexico City

López-Martínez, Rubén; Castañón-Olivares, Laura Rocío

doi:10.1007/bf01139333

Cited by 32 publications

(19 citation statements)

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“…It has been reported that C. neoformans was isolated from zoo bird excreta other than pigeon in zoos of Mexico and Germany (Bauwen et al, 1986;Lopez-Martinez and Castanon-Olivares, 1995). Our excreta samples of zoo bird in the City Zoo of Taejeon, however, did not give the positive result of C. neoformans.…”

Section: Resultscontrasting

confidence: 45%

“…grubii and var. neoformans have been found in a variety of environmental sources such as avian droppings, soil, fruits, and vegetables (Emmons, 1995;Hsu et al, 1994;Lopez-Martinez and Castanon-Olivares, 1995). In several countries, avian droppings, especially pigeon droppings, have been considered to be the major environmental source of C. neoformans serotype A and D (Kielstein et al, 2000;Mahmoud, 1999;Yimtubezenash et al, 2001).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Isolation ofCryptococcus neoformansvar.grubii(serotype A) from Pigeon Droppings in Korea

Chee

Kim

2003

Mycobiology

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Three hundred and sixty five samples of avian droppings, collected from parks and zoo, were investigated for the occurrence of Cryptococcus neoformans in Korea. Thirteen samples were positive for C. neoformans. All isolates were obtained from withered pigeon droppings. Identification and serotyping of isolates were determined by means of serological test and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) fingerprinting. All isolates belonged to C. neoformans var. grubbi (serotype A). KEYWORDS: Cryptococcus neoformans, Pigeon droppings, Serotype ACryptococcus neoformans is an encapsulated, basidiomycetous yeast-like fungus that can cause meningoencephalitis in immunocompromised individuals, particularly AIDS patients (Mattsson et al., 1999). Individual is thought to be infected by inhalation of airborne fungal cell from environmental sources (Ellis and Pfeiffer, 1990).On the basis of the antigenic composition of its polysaccharide capsule and biochemical differences, C. neoformans has been subdivided into three varieties with 4 serotypes: C. neoformans var. grubii (serotype A), C. neoformans var. neoformans (serotype D), and C. neoformans var. gatti (serotype B and C) (Franzot et al., 1999;Wilson et al., 1968). Former two varieties have a worldwide distribution, whereas C. neoformans var. gatti is restricted to tropical and subtropical areas (Bennett et al., 1977;Kohno et al., 1994). In pathogenicity, it has been reported that C. neoformans serotype A and D are the causative agents of cryptococcosis in immunocompromised or AIDS patients while C. neoformans var. gatti is associated with the infection of individual with normal immune status (Speed and Dunt, 1995). Serotype A is the predominant majority of clinical isolates of C. neoformans throughout the world, whereas serotype D is prevalent in some geographic areas (Criseo and Gallo, 1997;Dromer et al., 1996;Steenbergen and Casadevall, 2000;Tortorano et al., 1997). In terms of ecological distribution of C. neoformans, C. neoforamns var gatti has been isolated from Eucalyptus in tropical areas whereas C. neoformans var. grubii and var. neoformans have been found in a variety of environmental sources such as avian droppings, soil, fruits, and vegetables (Emmons, 1995;Hsu et al., 1994;Lopez-Martinez and Castanon-Olivares, 1995). In several countries, avian droppings, especially pigeon droppings, have been considered to be the major environmental source of C. neoformans serotype A and D (Kielstein et al., 2000;Mahmoud, 1999;Yimtubezenash et al., 2001). The reason for the high occurrence of C. neoformans in avian excreta is believed to be due to a utilization of nitrogenous compounds such as uric acid and creatinine in excreta (Lattman and Walter, 1968). In Korea, the distribution of serotype of the C. neoformans has not been previously reported. In this study we examined the occurrence and serotypes of C. neoformans in avian droppings. Materials and MethodsA total of 365 samples including 275 pigeon droppings and 90 zoo bird droppings were collected from parks and zoo in Korea (Tab...

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Section: Resultscontrasting

confidence: 45%

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confidence: 99%

Isolation ofCryptococcus neoformansvar.grubii(serotype A) from Pigeon Droppings in Korea

Chee

Kim

2003

Mycobiology

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“…albidus in the cloacae and may disseminate it in the environment through the faeces. Other studies also isolated yeasts from the parrots but not from A. aestiva genus [31,32]. It is possible to verify many reports that describe the link of yeasts belonging to the complex Cryptococcus with the environment as well as the correlation of them with the animals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

Cryptococcus albidus var. albidus Isolated from Turquoise-Fronted Parrots (Amazona aestiva: Psittacidae) Kept in Captivity: A Probable Reservoir Ecological of Fungal Specimen

Nascimento¹,

Paula²,

Ruiz³

et al. 2017

J Vet Sci Technol

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Cryptococcus is an opportunistic yeast that causes life-threatening infections as meningoencephalitis primarily in immunocompromised hosts, generally associated with AIDS. The source of this organism is mainly pigeon excreta; however, other avian species' excreta are implicated as a source of this yeast. The aim of this study was to perform the isolation of yeasts of the Cryptococcus genus from the cloacae of 40 parrots kept in captivity area of the genus Amazona aestiva. These birds were anesthetized, the cloacae washed, and then swabs from the cloaca collected. The yeasts isolated from cloacae birds were studied by phenotypic and genotypic methods. The production of extracellular enzymes as virulence factors (protease and phospholipase) was performed too. From the total of parrots studied, 10 strains of yeasts were isolated. Nine of the strains belonged to the specie Cryptococcus albidus var. albidus and one sample belonged to the specie Cryptococcus laurentti. The extracellular enzymes research demonstrated that 80% of the isolates were phospholipase producers and all of them were protease positives. These results suggest that not just the environment but also the birds of A. aestiva genus may be the carriers of C. albidus. We point out that the strains produced virulence factors. This is the first report of the isolation of C. albidus var. albidus of A. aestiva parrots and to assert that this bird is a special ecological niche of capped yeast.

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“…association with birds and their guanos, including in aviaries where multiple species are housed in close proximity (6,7,12,24,26,42,51,54,67,75). These studies have identified specific avian species as carriers for Cryptococcus, but no reason for this specificity has been determined.…”

Section: Vol 6 2007 C Neoformans Mates On Pigeon Guano 955mentioning

confidence: 99%

Cryptococcus neoformans Mates on Pigeon Guano: Implications for the Realized Ecological Niche and Globalization

Nielsen¹,

Obaldia²,

2007

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The ecological niche that a species can occupy is determined by its resource requirements and the physical conditions necessary for survival. The niche to which an organism is most highly adapted is the realized niche, whereas the complete range of habitats that an organism can occupy represents the fundamental niche. The growth and development of Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii on pigeon guano were examined to determine whether these two species occupy the same or different ecological niches. C. neoformans is a cosmopolitan pathogenic yeast that infects predominantly immunocompromised individuals, exists in two varieties (grubii [serotype A] and neoformans [serotype D]), and is commonly isolated from pigeon guano worldwide. By contrast, C. gattii often infects immunocompetent individuals and is associated with geographically restricted environments, most notably, eucalyptus trees. Pigeon guano supported the growth of both species, and a brown pigment related to melanin, a key virulence factor, was produced. C. neoformans exhibited prolific mating on pigeon guano, whereas C. gattii did not. The observations that C. neoformans completes the life cycle on pigeon guano but that C. gattii does not indicates that pigeon guano could represent the realized ecological niche for C. neoformans. Because C. gattii grows on pigeon guano but cannot sexually reproduce, pigeon guano represents a fundamental but not a realized niche for C. gattii. Based on these studies, we hypothesize that an ancestral Cryptococcus strain gained the ability to sexually reproduce in pigeon guano and then swept the globe.

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Isolation ofCryptococcus neoformans var.neoformans from bird droppings, fruits and vegetables in Mexico City

Cited by 32 publications

References 9 publications

Isolation ofCryptococcus neoformansvar.grubii(serotype A) from Pigeon Droppings in Korea

Isolation ofCryptococcus neoformansvar.grubii(serotype A) from Pigeon Droppings in Korea

Cryptococcus albidus var. albidus Isolated from Turquoise-Fronted Parrots (Amazona aestiva: Psittacidae) Kept in Captivity: A Probable Reservoir Ecological of Fungal Specimen

Cryptococcus neoformans Mates on Pigeon Guano: Implications for the Realized Ecological Niche and Globalization

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