Yeast microbiota of raptors: a possible tool for environmental monitoring

Abstract

Twenty-two raptors from a rehabilitation centre were evaluated for the presence of yeasts prior to returning them to the wild, and the recovered Candida isolates were tested for in vitro antifungal susceptibility and phospholipase production. Samples were collected from the crop/lower esophagus and cloaca. In vitro antifungal susceptibility and phospholipase production of 21 Candida strains were assessed through broth microdilution and growth on egg yolk agar respectively. Twenty-seven isolates, belonging to seven species, were recovered from 16 tested birds, with C. albicans and C. famata as the most prevalent species. Three out of 21 isolates (2 C. albicans and 1 C. tropicalis) were simultaneously resistant to fluconazole and itraconazole. As for phospholipase production, 8 (8/21) isolates (6 C. albicans, 1 C. famata and 1 C. parapsilosis) showed enzymatic activity. The most relevant finding in this study was the isolation of resistant Candida spp. from wild raptors that had never been submitted to antifungal therapy, which suggests exposure to environmental contaminants. Based on this, we propose the assessment of Candida spp. from the gastrointestinal tract of raptors as a tool for environmental monitoring.

Emergence of azole-resistant Candida albicans in small ruminants

“…Resistance to CAS was not observed, similar to what was observed in other studies with healthy animals [6,7]. However, azole resistance rates were high, with 3/21 C. albicans simultaneously resistant to the three tested azoles, 6/21 resistant to FLC and ITC, and 3/11 resistant to VRC.…”

“…As for tetraconazole, there are no resistance breakpoints established, but it presented a high MIC range, when compared to ITC and VRC. Resistance to azole is usually a consequence of changes in the gene sequences or their expression due to selective processes caused by previous exposure to these drugs, since they are commonly used in clinical or agricultural practices [7,11,12]. Thus, knowledge on products that are used to treat and control diseases in crop destined to animal feeding is important.…”

“…Macromorphological, micromorphological and biochemical features were assessed in order to identify the species. In cases of dubious identification, the strains were identified through Vitek 2 [5][6][7].…”

Evidence of Fluconazole-Resistant Candida Species in Tortoises and Sea Turtles

“…isolated from animals and environmental sources [7,8,21,24]. Resistance to azoles can be associated with mutations occurring in gene sequence or expression of these genes, arising due to selective pressures induced by the use of azoles [25]. Since the animals evaluated in this study had no history of prior treatment with antifungal drugs, the resistance can be associated with the presence of these compounds in the diet, especially fruits and vegetables given to captive animals, since azole derivatives are also used in agriculture.…”

Macrobrachium amazonicum: an alternative for microbiological monitoring of aquatic environments in Brazil

“…degradation (MEDEIROS et al, 2008;BRILHANTE et al, 2011BRILHANTE et al, , 2012CASTELO-BRANCO et al, 2013), particularly in samples obtained from aquatic sources (BUTINAR et al, 2005;MEDEIROS et al, 2008). In these studies, the isolation of this genus was greater than that of other microorganisms, including bacteria, demonstrating the potential use of this yeast for environmental monitoring.…”