Isolation of saprophytic Cryptococcus neoformans.
Mahendra Singh Pala, Chikage ONDA, Atsuhiko Hasegawa
- aDepartment of Veterinary Internal Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tokyo, Japan
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Abstract
Isolation of Cryptococcus neoformans was carried out on sunflower seed agar medium (SFA) and Sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA). Out of 346 environmental substrates (133 fruits, 107 avian extreta, 91 vegetables and 15 wooden scrapings) tested, 3 specimens were positive for C. neoformans. The positive isolations came from the fruits of 2 banana (Musa sapientum) and a potato tuber (Solnum tuberosum). The pathogen could not be demonstrated in 107 samples of avian droppings and 15 of wooden materials. All the 3 isolates of the yeast were obtained on SFA, while they were not cultured on the plates of SDA with chloramphenicol which were badly contaminated with rapidly growing molds, yeasts and bacteria. To the present author's knowledge, this appears to be the first reports of the isolation of this pathogenic basidiomycetous yeast from contaminated fruits of banana. We suggest more comprehensive ecological surveys to search for environmental niche of C. neoformans var. neoformans and C. neoformans var. gattii as the latter variety is also implicated in the etiology of cryptococcosis.
TL;DRThis appears to be the first reports of the isolation of this pathogenic basidiomycetous yeast from contaminated fruits of banana, and it is suggested that more comprehensive ecological surveys are suggested to search for environmental niche of C. neoformans and C. gattii. (Semantic Scholar)