Abstract

CONTRERAS MARTINEZ, Orfa Inés; AYCARDI MORINELLI, María Paulina; ALARCON FURNIELES, Jany Luz  and  JARABA RAMOS, Aparicio Manuel. Presumptive identification of Cryptococcus gattii isolated from Terminalia catappa in Montería city, Córdoba, Colombia. Rev Cubana Med Trop [online]. 2011, vol.63, n.2, pp. 117-122. ISSN 1561-3054.

Introduction: the members of the Cryptococcus neoformans species complex are responsible for cryptococcosis in animals and humans. Human infection is thought to be acquired by inhalation of airborne propagules from an environmental source; therefore it is greatly important to study their habitat. Objective: to determine the ecological relationship of Cryptococcus gattii with Terminalia catappa trees present in urban areas of Montería city in Colombia. Methods: a total of 163 Terminalia catappa trees were selected; some samples were taken from the bark, the leaves, the flowers, the fruits of these trees and from the surrounding soil. The yeast was isolated using the Guizotia abyssinica seed agar medium; it was identified thanks to biochemical and morphologic tests whereas the right variety was determined by L-canavanine-glycine- bromothymol blue (CGB), D-proline and D-tryptophan tests. Results: there was obtained 9.050 CFU/g isolate of Cryptococcus spp., 5.795 CFU/g of which were presumptively identified as Cryptococcus gattii. The highest percentage of isolates was found in flowers, followed by bark and fruits, presenting small cellular and capsular sizes. These isolates were more frequent in the south of the city, followed by the center zone and the lowest percentage in the northern zone. Conclusions: these findings confirmed the close relationship of Cryptococcus gattii and Terminalia catappa, being this the first study conducted in Montería city. These results give us meaningful information for understanding and analyzing the epidemiology of cryptococcosis in Monteria city, Colombia.

Keywords : Cryptococcus gattii; Terminalia catappa; habitat; propagules; environment.

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