EVIDENCE OF CANARY DROPPINGS AS AN IMPORTANT RESERVOIR OF CRYPTOCOCCUS-NEOFORMANS

After preliminary results had shown the occurrence of Cryptococcus neo formans in canary droppings in southern Italy, the increasing epidemio logical interest in cryptococcosis and the habitats of the agent led t o more extensive studies. 180 samples of canary droppings were collect ed from pet shops and private households in two towns (Messina and Reg gio Calabria) of southern Italy and culturally examined for C. neoform ans. The examination was carried out with the help of the brown colour effect (BCE) specific of the C. neoformans colony on Guizotia abyssin ica creatinine agar (Staib agar). 48 samples (26.6%) were positive; of these, 32/108 (29.6%) were from pet shops and 16/72 (22.2%) from priv ate households. The colony growth was not mucous, i.e. microscopically the blastospores were found to be little or not encapsulated. All C. neoformans strains tested by the auxanographic method showed a weak as similation of creatinine. The variety status of the isolates was teste d with canavanine-glycine-bromothymol-blue (CGB) agar; all strains tes ted (n = 420) were found to be C. neoformans var. neoformans. In the l ight of extensive studies on C. neoformans and the canary in the pre-A IDS era in Germany, the present observations in Italy ask for further basic research, epidemiological studies, and education of the public.