Role of Rhizomys pruinosus as a natural animal host of Penicillium marneffei in Guangdong, China.

Guohua He,Xiaowen Huang,Liyan Xi,Yuheng Liang,Sha Lu

doi:10.1111/1751-7915.12275

Abstract

Penicillium marneffei, a dimorphic fungus that can cause penicilliosis marneffei, is endemic in Southeast Asia. The only known hosts of P. marneffei are humans and bamboo rats. The aim of our study was to explore the distribution of P. marneffei in bamboo rats, their associated environment and non-rat-associated environments. Totally, 270 samples were collected in Guangdong province of China in 2012; the prevalence of P. marneffei was much higher in samples collected from surrounding areas of burrows (8.2%) than in the samples obtained from non-rat-associated sites (2%) or artificial farms of bamboo rats (0%). There was no difference in P. marneffei isolated rate from different areas of Guangdong province. The infection is prevalent in all rats, and this fungus could be frequently seen in the rats' lungs. This study confirms that bamboo rat is the ecological niche of P. marneffei and hypothesizes that bamboo rats become infected by inhaling aerosolized conidia originating from environmental sources, rather than by the fecal–oral route or transplacental crossing. According to the result of no detection of P. marneffei in the artificial farm, the activity of bamboo rats might be more relevant to the distribution and dissemination of P. marneffei in natural environment.

Highlights

Penicillium marneffei, the only known dimorphic and pathogenic species in the genus of Penicillium, is an emerging pathogen that can cause lethal penicilliosis marneffei
Is the ecological niche of P. marneffei and hypothesizes that bamboo rats become infected by inhaling aerosolized conidia originating from environmental sources, rather than by the fecal–oral route or transplacental crossing
According to the result of no detection of P. marneffei in the artificial farm, the activity of bamboo rats might be more relevant to the distribution and dissemination of P. marneffei in natural environment

Summary

Introduction

Penicillium marneffei, the only known dimorphic and pathogenic species in the genus of Penicillium, is an emerging pathogen that can cause lethal penicilliosis marneffei This infection is endemic in Southeast Asia, including Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Southern China, Taiwan, India and Laos (Hu et al, 2013). In the past few decades, several studies attempted to find out whether penicilliosis marneffei occurs as a consequence of zoonotic or sapronotic transmission. Till it reveals little association between bamboo rats and this infection epidemiologically. The available information seems to suggest that exposure to soil, rather than the enzootic reservoir, is the dependent factor that is associated with the increasing risk of P. marneffei infection. The definitive evidence of the environmental reservoir for P. marneffei within the soil or other substrates is still lacking

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