2022, Vol. 3, Issue 2, Part B
Isolation and identification of Cryptococcus neoformans from avian droppings on Pal sunflower seed medium
Author(s): Dr. Mahendra Pal
Abstract: Cryptococcus neoformans is a basidiomycetous yeast of medical and veterinary importance. The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of Pal sunflower seed agar (Pal medium) for the rapid isolation and presumptive identification of Cr. neoformans from the droppings of birds, mainly the pigeons, and parrots collected from different areas in India. A total of 34 old and dried bird’s faecal samples (17 from pigeons and 17 from parrots) were examined mycologically by employing dilution technique. All the 34 samples of bird’s droppings were inoculated onto Sabouraud dextrose agar and Pal sunflower seed medium. Cryptococcus neoformans was isolated from 16 avian samples, which comprised of 11 from pigeons and 5 from parrots. However, there was no isolation of Blastomyces dermatitidis, and Histoplasma capsulatum from the bird’s excreta. The microscopic morphology of all the 16 isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans when examined in “Narayan†stain revealed circular to oval, single or budding yeast cells with thin capsules. Interestingly, all the 16 isolations of Cr. neoformans were easily made only on Pal sunflower seed agar by observing light to dark brown pigmented colonies. There was no isolation on Sabouraud medium as all the inoculated plates were heavily contaminated by fast growing moulds. The high rate of isolations of Cr. neoformans on Pal sunflower seed agar clearly revealed the advantage of this medium for the selective isolation of Cr. neoformans from bird’s droppings. As Cr. neoformans is a highly pathogenic fungus, the people with weak immune system are advised not to visit any such buildings where the pigeons roost, and also not to clean the pigeon/parrot droppings without wearing the face mask.
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How to cite this article:
Dr. Mahendra Pal. Isolation and identification of Cryptococcus neoformans from avian droppings on Pal sunflower seed medium. J Adv Microbiol Res 2022;3(2):96-99.