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Environmental distribution of Cryptococcus species and some other yeast‐like fungi in India
Author(s) -
Prakash Anupam,
Randhawa Harbans S.,
Khan Zia U.,
Ahmad Suhail,
Hagen Ferry,
Meis Jacques F.,
Chowdhary Anuradha
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
mycoses
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.13
H-Index - 69
eISSN - 1439-0507
pISSN - 0933-7407
DOI - 10.1111/myc.12741
Subject(s) - biology , cryptococcus neoformans , cryptococcus , bark (sound) , botany , acacia , cryptococcus gattii , yeast , veterinary medicine , microbiology and biotechnology , ecology , medicine , genetics
Summary A study of environmental distribution revealed the occurrence of Cryptococcus neoformans and C. gattii in 9% and 3%, respectively, of 611 samples investigated. C. neoformans showed the highest isolation frequency from tree trunk hollows in Delhi (31%), whereas C. gattii occurred in 12% of the samples in Delhi and 5% in Rajasthan. In addition, Cryptococcus laurentii (= Papiliotrema laurentii ), C. rajasthanensis (= Papiliotrema rajasthanensis ) , C. podzolicus (= Saitozyma podzolica ) and C. flavescens (= Papiliotrema flavescens ) occurred in 0.5% each. The recovery of C. flavescens and C. podzolicus was new findings for India. One more noteworthy finding was isolation of a new yeast, recently classified as Saitozyma cassiae sp . Novo . The previous strain of this yeast came from tree bark debris in South India. Our isolates came from decayed wood inside a trunk hollow of an Acacia tree in, Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, Rajasthan. The isolations of novel strains of Cutaneotrichosporon moniliiforme from decayed wood of a Pinus tree was another significant finding. Phenotypically, they differed from T. moniliforme by being encapsulated cells, had melanin‐like pigment production and were unable to assimilate d ‐ manitol and d ‐ melezitose. AFLP analysis showed a distinctive banding profile vis‐a‐vis the reference strains of T. moniliiforme and Cryptotrichosporon anacardii .