Survey of Cryptococcal Antigens in Urban Pigeons (Columba livia) in Sao Paulo State, Brazil
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3923/ijps.2012.1.4Keywords:
Columba livia, cryptococcoses, Cryptococcus neoformans, pigeonsAbstract
Cryptococcoses is a zoonosis caused by the saprophyte yeast Cryptococcus neoformans. It has been described in several animals species and frequently it is related with environments where bird’s droppings are accumulated. The aim of the present study was to investigate the presence of antigens of C. neoformans in the blood serum of urban pigeons (Columba livia) in São Paulo and Tatuí cities, Brazil. During a year 240 birds has their serum evaluated, with a latex agglutination test, for the presence of cryptococcal antigens. All the birds showed negative results. Most researches report the identification of C. neoformans in feces present in the environments occupied by pigeons. However, there is little information regarding the investigation of the agent directly on the bird, either by detection of antigen or antibodies. There is no doubt that the fungus remains viable in the dry feces of these birds during years, representing a risk factor for the occurrence of cryptococcoses in susceptible hosts. However, it should be noted that the fungus is often present in the environment due to the presence of substrates favorable to their development. Despite the correlation between the prevalence of C. neoformans in nature and bird excreta, the role of the pigeons themselves in disseminating the fungus still need to be more understood.
References
Baroni, F.A., C.R. Paula, E.G. Silva, F.C. Viani, I.N.G. Rivera, M.T.B. Oliveira and W. Gambale, 2006. Cryptococcus neoformans strains isolated from church towers in Rio de Janeiro city, RJ. Brazil. Rev. Inst. Med. Trop. S. Paulo, 48: 71-75.
Carvalho, V.G., M.S. Terceti, A.L.T. Dias, C.R. Paula, J.P. Lyon, A.M. Siqueira and M.C. Franco, 2007. Serotype and Mating type characterization of Cryptococcus neoformans by multiplex PCR. Rev. Inst. Med. Trop. S. Paulo, 49: 207-210.
Carfachia, C., A. Camarda, D. Romito, M. Campolo, N.C. Quaglia and D. Tullio, 2006. Occurrence of yeasts in cloacae of migratory birds. Mycopathologia, 161: 229-234.
Cherniak, R. and J.B. Sundstrom, 1994. Polysaccharide antigens of the capsule of Cryptococcus neoformans. Infect. Immun., 62: 1507-1512.
Costa, A.K.F., J.J.C. Sidrim, R.A. Cordeiro, R.S.N. Brilhante, A.J. Monteiro and M.F.G. Rocha, 2010. Urban Pigeons (Columba livia) as a potential source of pathogenic yeasts: A focus on antifungal susceptibility of Cryptococcus strains in Northeast Brazil. Mycopathologia, 169: 207-213.
Haag-Wackernagel, D. and H. Moch, 2004. Health hazards posed by feral pigeons. J. Infect., 48: 307-313.
Hirsh, D.C. and E.L. Biberstein, 2004. Yeasts-Cryptococcus, Malassezia and Candida. In: Veterinary Microbiology, Hirsh, D.C., N.J. MacLachlan and R.L. Walker (Eds.)., Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, pp: 265-272.
Lindenberg, A.S.C., M.R. Chang, A.M.M. Paniago, M.S. Lazera and P.M.F. Monacad et al., 2008. Clinical and epidemiological features of 123 cases of cryptococcosis in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Rev. Inst. Med. Trop. S. Paulo, 50: 75-78.
Leal, A.L., J. Faganello, A.M. Fuentefria, J.T. Boldo, M.C. Bassanesi and M.H. Vainstein, 2008. Epidemiological profile of Cryptococcal meningitis patients in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Mycopathologia, 166: 71-75.
Lugarini, C., L.A.Z. Condas, G.C.G. Soresini, R.C.F. Santos and M.D. Muros et al., 2008. Screening of antigenemia and isolation of Cryptococcus neoformans and C. gattii from cloaca and crop of birds in the state of Parana, Brazil. Pesq. Vet. Bras., 28: 341-344.
Lugarini, C., C.Z. Goebel, L.A.Z. Condas, M.D. Muro, M.R. Farias, F. Montiani-Ferreira and M.H. Vainstein, 2008. Cryptococcus neoformans Isolated from passerine and psittacine bird excreta in the State of Parana, Brazil. Mycopathologia, 166: 61-69.
Lin, X. and J. Heitman, 2006. The biology of the Cryptococcus neoformans species complex. Annu. Rev. Microbiol., 60: 69-105.
Mani, I. and J.H. Maguire, 2009. Small animal zoonoses and immuncompromised pet owners. Top. Companion Anim. Med., 24: 164-174.
Masur, H., J.E. Kaplan and K.K. Holmes, 2002. Guidelines for preventing opportunistic infections among HIV-Infected persons. Ann. Internal Med., 137: 435-477.
Mattsson, R., P. Haemig and B. Olsen, 1999. Feral pigeons as carriers of Cryptoccocus laurenttii, Cryptococcus uniguttulatus and Debaryomyces hansenii. Med. Mycol., 37: 367-369.
Nielsen, K., A.L. Obaldia and J. Heitman, 2007. Cryptococcus neoformans mates on Pigeon Guano: Implications for the realized ecological niche and globalization. Eukaryotic Cell, 6: 949-959.
Nosanchuk, J.D., S. Shoham and B.C. Fries, D.S. Shapiro, S.M. Levitz and A. Casadevall, 2000. Evidence of zoonotic transmission of Cryptococcus neoformans from a pet cockatoo to an immunocompromised patient. Ann. Intern. Med., 132: 205-208.
Passoni, L.F., B. Wanke, M.M. Nishikawa and M.S. Lazera, 1998. Cryptococcus neoformans isolated from human dwellings in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: An analysis of the domestic environment of AIDS patients with and without cryptococcosis. Med. Mycol., 36: 305-311.
Raso, T.F., K. Werther, E.T. Miranda and M.J.S. Mendes-Giannini, 2004. Cryptococcosis outbreak in psittacine birds in Brazil. Med. Mycol., 42: 355-362.
Rosario, I., G. Soro, S. Deniz, O. Ferrer, F. Acosta, D. Padilla and B. Acosta, 2009. Presence of C. albidus, C. laurentii and C. uniguttulatus in crop and droppings of Pigeon Lofts (Columba livia). Mycopathologia, 169: 315-319.
Rosario, I., M.H. Mendoza, S. Deniz, G. Soro, I. Alamo and B. Acosta, 2005. Isolation of Cryptococcus sp., inclunding C. neoformans from cloaca of pigeons. Mycoses, 48: 421-424.
Velasko, M.C., 2000. Candidiasis and Cryptococcosis in birds. Semin. Avian Exotic Pet Med., 9: 75-81.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2012 Asian Network for Scientific Information
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
