title: Experimental murine cryptococcal infection results in contamination of bedding with Cryptococcus neoformans.
abstract: Cryptococcus neoformans is a fungal pathogen that survives in diverse environments. To determine whether cages of mice infected with C. neoformans posed an infection risk to animal caregivers, we investigated whether the fungus could be isolated from the bedding or stool of mice infected by intratracheal (i.t.), intravenous (i.v.), or intraperitoneal (i.p.) routes. The bedding of mice infected i.t. was contaminated with C. neoformans. In contrast, no contamination of bedding with C. neoformans was detected in cages of mice infected i.v. or i.p. C. neoformans was not isolated from murine feces. The C. neoformans strain recovered from bedding material was indistinguishable from the infecting strain by biochemical and molecular techniques. This result suggests that precautions may be warranted when disposing bedding from cages that housed mice with pulmonary C. neoformans infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.
authors.forename: Joshua D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Nosanchuk
authors.forename: Aron
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mednick
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Arturo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Casadevall
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001512:Bedding and Linens / Q000382:microbiology*; D003453:Cryptococcosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary*; D003455:Cryptococcus neoformans / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000032:analysis; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004866:Equipment Contamination; D006799:Housing, Animal; D007756:Laboratory Animal Science; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D004271:DNA, Fungal; D011134:Polysaccharides; C027478:glucuronoxylomannan