Mycological examinations on the fungal flora of the chicken comb

Abstract

A total of 500 combs of adult chickens from two different locations in Germany (Hessen and Schleswig-Holstein) were clinically and mycologically examined. The chickens came from three battery cages (n = 79), one voliere system (n=32), six flocks maintained on deep litter (n = 69) and 12 flocks kept on free outdoor range (n=320). Twenty-two of the 500 chicken combs (4.4%) were found to have clinical signs: only non-specific lesions neither typical of mycosis nor of avian pox such as desquamation with crust formation, yellow to brown or black dyschromic changes, alopecia in the surrounding area and moist inflammation. Only seven of the 22 clinically altered combs showed a positive mycological result; the non-pathogenic and geophilic Trichophyton terrestre in one case and non-pathogenic yeast in six cases. The following fungi were seen in the different housing systems: 13 dermatophytes (2.6% of 500 samples): 12 x T. terrestre, 1 x Trichophyton mentagrophytes, 11 isolates of Chrysosporium georgiae (2.2% of 500 samples) and 149 isolates of yeasts (29.8%): Malassezia sympodialis: n = 52, Kloeckera apiculata: n = 33, Trichosporon capitatum (syn. Geotrichum capitatum): n = 23, Trichosporon cutaneum/Trichosporon mucoides: n = 12, Trichosporon inkin (syn. Sarcinosporon inkin): n = 8 and Candida spp.: n = 21, including pathogenic or possibly pathogenic species: Candida albicans: n = 3, Candida famata: n = 4, Candida guilliermondii: n = 3, Candida lipolytica: n = 3, Candida dattila: n = 2 and one isolate each of Candida glabrata, Candida parapsilosis, Candida aaseri, Candida catenulata sive brumpti, Candida fructus and Candida kefyr sive pseudotropicalis. There is no stringent correlation between the clinical symptoms diagnosed on the chicken combs and the species of yeasts isolated. The causative agent of favus in chickens, Trichophyton gallinae, and the saprophytic yeast in pigeons, Cr. neoformans were not isolated. The most frequently isolated yeasts M. sympodialis and Kloeckera apiculata are suggested to be classified as members of the resident flora of the chicken comb.

Keratinophilic fungi on feathers of common clinically healthy birds in Bahrain

“…terrestre was considered a potential source for mycoses epidemic in France. 10 Grü nder et al [32] isolated the geophilic species Tri. terrestre from chicken combs in Germany.…”

Microbial population dynamics during the processing of Arbequina table olives

“…P. anomala has been related to olive bloater spoilage (Faid, Akhartouf, & Asehraou, 1994) and P. minuta and C. parapsilosis has been identified in other studies of table olive fermentation (Hernández, Martín, Aranda, Pérez-Nevado, & Córdoba, 2007). P. rhodanensis, C. aaseri and C. parapsilosis have been isolated in different animal sources (Gründer, Mayser, Redmann, & Kaleta, 2005;Miller, Phaff, & Snyder, 1962). Further work should be done to determine the relationship between the yeast species involved in olive fermentation and the improvement of the quality of the product.…”

Contribución al conocimiento de la microbiota presente en los hábitats naturales de Histoplasma capsulatum: un estudio integral en Guerrero, México

“…Trichosporon moniliiforme is a ubiquitous yeast restricted to natural sources such as soil, water, and bird and chicken droppings. Physiologically it cannot be distinguished easily from T. cutaneum, which is a human pathogen responsible for white piedra and other skin lesions, but this species is more sensitive to cycloheximide, and to elevated temperatures (de Hoog and Guarro, 1995;Kurtzman and Fell, 1998;Barnett et al, 2000;Gründer et al, 2004).…”