Abstract
In spite of evidence that domestic and wild birds may act as carriers of human pathogenic fungi, data on the role of laying hens as reservoirs of drug resistant and virulent yeasts is lacking. Here, we assess several virulence factors (phospholipase and haemolysin activity) and the antifungal susceptibility profiles of 84 Candida albicans and 17 Candida catenulata strains isolated from cloacae (group A), faeces (group B) and eggs (group C) of laying hens. Of these strains, 95% C. albicans and 23% C. catenulata strains displayed phospholipase and haemolytic activities. For C. albicans, the highest values of phospholipase (Pz = 0.62) and haemolytic activities (Hz = 0.49) were recorded among the strains from group C whilst for C. catenulata (Pz = 0.54; Hz = 0.49) among those from group A. High minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values for azoles and amphotericin B (AmB) were recorded irrespective of their sources in all C. albicans strains. A total of 22 C. albicans strains were multidrug resistant, displaying resistance to fluconazole, itraconazole (ITZ), voriconazole (VOR) and posaconazole (POS). All C. catenulata strains from group C were resistant to ITZ, POS, micafungin and anidulafungin and susceptible to AmB. In this study, C. albicans and C. catenulata isolated from the cloacae, faeces and eggs of laying hens produced phospholipase and haemolysin and might be multidrug resistant. In the environment (faeces) or in eggs, C. albicans and C. catenulata strains might acquire pathogenic virulence traits and/or show multidrug resistance profiles. Based on these results, breeding and handling of laying hens and/or eggs may have implications for human and animal health.
Highlights
Candida species are among the most common causes of infections, with overwhelming mortality rates in immunocompromised patients (Antinori et al 2018; Tscherner et al 2019)
The following antifungal drugs were supplied by the manufacturers as pure standard compounds: amphotericin B (AmB) and itraconazole (ITC) (Sigma-Aldrich Milan, Italy), fluconazole (FLC) and voriconazole (VOR) (Pfizer Pharmaceuticals; Groton, Connecticut, USA), posaconazole (POS) (Schering-Plough Corporation, Kenilworth, NJ, USA), anidulafungin (ANI) (Sigma-Aldrich, Milan, Italy) and micafungin (MCF) (Sigma-Aldrich; Milan, Italy)
The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) endpoint was defined as the lowest concentration that produced a significant decrease in turbidity (≥ 50%) compared with that of drug-free control
Summary
Candida species are among the most common causes of infections, with overwhelming mortality rates in immunocompromised patients (Antinori et al 2018; Tscherner et al 2019). Bird droppings act as a suitable substrate for the growth of Candida spp. due to intrinsically high concentrations of nitrogenous compounds (Elhariri et al 2015). Yeasts such as Candida, Cryptococcus, Geotrichum, Rhodotorula and Trichosporon have been isolated from environment, avian sources and eggs (Cafarchia et al 2018). There is a growing concern that these yeasts species might acquire virulence
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