Pesquisa de fungos leveduriformes em aves de rapina procedentes de centros de reabilitação

Abstract

Since the microbiota study is important for the understanding of fungi as the potential cause of diseases, the present study aimed to isolate and identify yeast from the oral cavity and tracheae of birds of prey. For this study, 32 birds of prey were used, proceeding from two rehabilitation centers located in Pernambuco and Espírito Santo States, Brazil. Samples were collected from oral cavity and tracheae by using swabs and sent to laboratory at room temperature. At the laboratory, samples were sowed in dextrose Sabouraud agar increased of chloranfenicol (100 mg·L-1) and incubated in aerobiosis at room temperature for a minimum period of seven days and maximum of 15 days. Yeasts were identified according to macroscopic and microscopic characteristic and biochemical parameters. From a total amount of 64 analyzed samples, it was observed that 15 (23.4%) of them were positive for yeast presence, and out of this, 14 (93.3%) were isolated from the oral cavity and only one (6.7%) from the tracheae, and the identified species were: Candida albicans, C. parapsilosis, C. tropicallis, C. magnoliae, Candida sp. and Trichosporoncutaneum. The isolation and identification of yeasts in birds of prey are epidemiologically important for a better understanding of pathological processes in the oral cavity and trachea of the studied species since knowing the fungi in these species enables the prevention of diseases caused by opportunistic agents. Stressful situations in the rooms in rehabilitation centers must be avoided in order to reduce the risks of diseases caused by these fungi. This is the first report in the national literature about the isolation of yeasts in birds of prey.