title: Detection of Candida species resistant to azoles in the microbiota of rheas (Rhea americana): possible implications for human and animal health.
abstract: There is growing interest in breeding rheas (Rhea americana) in Brazil. However, there are no data on the yeast microbiota of the gastrointestinal tract of this avian species, and the phenotypic characteristics of these yeasts are not known. Therefore, the aim of this work was to isolate Candida species from the digestive tract of rheas and to evaluate the in vitro antifungal susceptibility and secretion of phospholipases of the recovered isolates. For this purpose, 58 rheas from breeding operations in the cities of Fortaleza and Mossoró, north-eastern Brazil, were used. Samples were gathered from the oropharynx and cloaca of the animals using sterile swabs. Stool samples were collected from their pens by scraping with a scalpel blade. For the primary isolation, the material was seeded onto 2 % Sabouraud dextrose agar supplemented with chloramphenicol (0.5 g l(-1)). The isolates were identified based on morphological and biochemical features. After identification, all the strains were submitted to antifungal susceptibility testing for amphotericin B, itraconazole and fluconazole. The phospholipase activity of the Candida species isolates was also tested by culturing on egg yolk agar. Candida species were isolated from at least one anatomical site in 36/58 birds (14/17 juveniles and 22/41 adults) and in 6/10 faecal samples. Mostly, only a single species was isolated from each collection site (36/56 positive sites), with up to three species being observed only in four cases (4/56). A total of 77 isolates were obtained, belonging to the species Candida parapsilosis sensu lato (19), Candida albicans (18), Candida tropicalis (13), Candida guilliermondii (12), Candida krusei (10) and Candida famata (5). C. albicans was more prevalent in the oropharynx of the juvenile rheas when compared with adult ones (P<0.001). All tested isolates were susceptible to amphotericin B, but 16 isolates were simultaneously resistant to the two azole derivatives (11/18 C. albicans, 1/10 C. krusei, 2/19 C. parapsilosis sensu lato and 2/13 C. tropicalis). C. albicans presented a particularly high resistance rate to fluconazole (15/18) and itraconazole (13/18). Finally, 23/77 strains secreted phospholipases. In summary, healthy rheas carry potentially pathogenic Candida species in their gastrointestinal tract, including azole-resistant strains that secrete phospholipases, and are prone to disseminating them in the environment. Thus, breeding and handling these animals may have some implications for human and animal health.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Legal Medicine, School of Medicine, Specialized Medical Mycology Center, Postgraduate Program in Medical Microbiology, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Raimunda Sâmia Nogueira
authors.initials: RSN
authors.lastname: Brilhante
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary, Postgraduate Program in Veterinary Science, State University of Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.|Department of Pathology and Legal Medicine, School of Medicine, Specialized Medical Mycology Center, Postgraduate Program in Medical Microbiology, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Lucas Pereira
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: de Alencar
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Legal Medicine, School of Medicine, Specialized Medical Mycology Center, Postgraduate Program in Medical Microbiology, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rossana de Aguiar
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Cordeiro
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Legal Medicine, School of Medicine, Specialized Medical Mycology Center, Postgraduate Program in Medical Microbiology, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Débora de Souza Collares Maia
authors.initials: DSCM
authors.lastname: Castelo-Branco
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Legal Medicine, School of Medicine, Specialized Medical Mycology Center, Postgraduate Program in Medical Microbiology, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carlos Eduardo Cordeiro
authors.initials: CEC
authors.lastname: Teixeira
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Legal Medicine, School of Medicine, Specialized Medical Mycology Center, Postgraduate Program in Medical Microbiology, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ramila de Brito
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Macedo
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Legal Medicine, School of Medicine, Specialized Medical Mycology Center, Postgraduate Program in Medical Microbiology, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Daniel Teixeira
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary, Postgraduate Program in Veterinary Science, State University of Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.|Department of Pathology and Legal Medicine, School of Medicine, Specialized Medical Mycology Center, Postgraduate Program in Medical Microbiology, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Manoel de Araújo Neto
authors.initials: MAN
authors.lastname: Paiva
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistics and Applied Mathematics, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: André Jalles
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Monteiro
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, Federal Rural University of the Semiarid, Mossoró, RN, Brazil.
authors.forename: Nilza Dutra
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Alves
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, Federal Rural University of the Semiarid, Mossoró, RN, Brazil.
authors.forename: Moacir
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Franco de Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Legal Medicine, School of Medicine, Specialized Medical Mycology Center, Postgraduate Program in Medical Microbiology, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: José Júlio Costa
authors.initials: JJC
authors.lastname: Sidrim
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary, Postgraduate Program in Veterinary Science, State University of Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.|Department of Pathology and Legal Medicine, School of Medicine, Specialized Medical Mycology Center, Postgraduate Program in Medical Microbiology, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcos Fábio Gadelha
authors.initials: MFG
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Christus College, UNICHRISTUS, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.|Department of Pathology and Legal Medicine, School of Medicine, Specialized Medical Mycology Center, Postgraduate Program in Medical Microbiology, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Tereza de Jesus Pinheiro Gomes
authors.initials: TJPG
authors.lastname: Bandeira
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Legal Medicine, School of Medicine, Specialized Medical Mycology Center, Postgraduate Program in Medical Microbiology, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Terezinha de Jesus Santos
authors.initials: TJS
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001393:Azoles / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001938:Brazil; D002175:Candida / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D041022:Candida tropicalis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002177:Candidiasis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission; D002988:Cloaca / Q000382:microbiology; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D025141:Drug Resistance, Fungal; D006801:Humans; D054892:Metagenome; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009960:Oropharynx / Q000382:microbiology; D010740:Phospholipases / Q000378:metabolism; D020311:Rheiformes / Q000382:microbiology*; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D001393:Azoles; D010740:Phospholipases