HOW I CAN GET DETAIL MORPHOLOGY AND COLONY DETAILS ALONG WITH CONFIRMITRY TEST SO THAT WE CAN IDENTIFIY THE SPECIES . PLEASE SEND ME MORE DETAILS ABOUT CANDIDA GATTI . WE HAVE ENOUGH LABORATRY FACILITIES AND EXPERTISE TO IDENTIFY THE SAID YEAST .

Dear Dr. Ashok K Srivastava,

Thank you very much for your interest in this work.

Remember, the fungus is a species of Cryptococcus (not Candida).

For many years it was considered a "variety" of the well-established fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans, an encapsulated yeast-like fungus (basidiomycete) of global importance that causes life-threatening infections in persons with impaired immunity.

Currently, Cryptococcus neoformans is classified into two varieties comprising C. neoformans var. grubii (serotype A) which has a worldwide distribution, and C. neoformans var. neoformans (serotype D), which is found mainly in temperate countries.

Cryptococcus gattii (serotypes B and C), as mentioned above, has traditionally been treated as a different variety of C. neoformans but more recently it has been proposed as a new species on the basis of morphologic, physiologic and genetic differences.

This species has been named Cryptococcus gattii in honour of the Italian mycologist Franco Gatti who, with Roger Eeckels, described an atypical strain of C. neoformans in the cerebrospinal fluid of a Congolese Bantu boy with cryptococcosis in 1970.

Genetic diversity among C. neoformans and C. gattii strains have been definitively demonstrated by a number of molecular typing techniques that have classified clinical and environmental cryptococci into eight distinct molecular types (that are widely used for epidemiological purposes).

Initially Cryptococcus gattii was reported to be endemic in tropical and subtropical regions such as Australia where it is most associated with Eucalyptus trees, particularly Eucalyptus camaldulensis and E. tereticornis. Furthermore, its isolation from Eucalyptus spp. is rare outside Australia and Southern California. Nevertheless, for reasons that are not yet fully understood, C. gattii has acquired the ability to adapt to new climatic and geographic conditions, such as those exiting in North America where this yeast has unexpectedly emerged as a primary pathogen causing, since 1999, infections of the central nervous system overall in healthy individuals. Here an unprecedented outbreak of Cryptococcus gattii is affecting both human and animal hosts with normal immunity.

So far, >100 human cases, have been reported by the Centre for Disease Control (www.bccdc.org, www.cbc.ca).

Moreover there is a potential risk that tourists acquire cryptococcosis (as has already happened) while visiting Vancouver Island because the fungus is present in the North American environment.

Now, several clinical autochthonous cases have also been described of patients who live in Mediterranean countries (Spain, France, Portugal, Greece and Italy) showing that this fungus is more widespread than was previously thought. However, no environmental studies have been conducted to evaluate the presence of this yeast in these geographycal areas. Therefore I would like to study the environmental distribution of this pathogenic yeast in the Meditteranean area and this project will be useful to describe the ecology and epidemiology of this important microrganism.

The environmental samples (Eucalyptus debris, including leaves and barks) should be processed by using the aqueous extraction and direct plating technique on Niger seed (Guizotia abyssinica) agar (also called STAIB agar). This is a specific medium for detecting Cryptococcus species. On this agar Cryptococcus sp. forms dark brown colonies easily distinguishable (see STAIB agar on google images).

Than, the colonies with these characteristics should be stained with India Ink to assess the presence of polysaccharide capsule. Finally a Urease test (must to be positive) confirm the presence of Cryptococcus species.

The identification of Cryptococcus gattii to the species level, in my laboratory is made by using sequencing and other specific molecular methods.

however if you are able to recover this fungus from the environment than I will can help you for further molecular and other analysis on the isolated yeasts.

thnk you again for your interest in this work and I hope that many scientists will join us in this important project.

Best Regards

Orazio Romeo

email: [email protected]

Dear Member,

"First ResearchGate Project on environmental diffusion of Cryptococcus gattii: an important yeast pathogen".

To date several european researchers joined the project on Environmental diffusion of Cryptococcus gattii. Many environmental samples (Eucaliptus debris) will send to my laboratory for analysis in September 2010.

Now I looking for environmental samples from France, Portugal, Croatia, Tunisia, Libya and Morocco therefore I invite all researcher from these countries to joined the project.

However also other members from mediterranean area will be welcome.

For further details please do not hesitate to contact me ([email protected]).

Thank you very much.

Orazio