YEAST DIVERSITY AND KILLER ACTIVITY DISPERSED IN FECAL PELLETS FROM MARSUPIALS AND RODENTS IN A BRAZILIAN TROPICAL HABITAT MOSAIC

Yeasts with counts of above 10(6) g(-1) wet weight and high diversity were found in the fecal pellets of rodents and marsupials from a mosai c of forest fragments, grasslands, cultivated fields and pasture in Ri o de Janeiro. The most frequently isolated yeasts were Debaryomyces ha nsenii, Pichia membranaefaciens and Issatchenkia orientalis (and its a namorph Candida krusei), probably reflecting a high fruit content in t he diet of these animals. The opportunistic pathogens Candida albicans , Candida glabrata and Candida tropicalis were isolated at lower frequ ency. Some Pichia anomala and P. membranaefaciens cultures had killer activity affecting many of the other isolates. These animals can be in volved in dispersal of yeasts. (C) 1998 Federation of European Microbi ological Societies. Published by Elsevier Science B.V.