Objective: Starlings are newly cities invading birds and people get wo
rried about human health. In order to know the pathogen agents they ca
n spread, we listed the yeasts present in their digestive tract. Metho
ds: One hundred starlings were studied. Two sites were sampled in each
one: cloaca and gizzard. Samples were cultured on Sabouraud-chloramph
enicol, CHROMagar Candida(R) and Guizotia abyssinica media. CHROMagar
Candida(R) medium was the best one to differentiate colonies and every
morphologic type of yeast was isolated from each sample and identifie
d by assimilation tests (API 32C(R)). Diversity in Candida albicans is
olates were assessed by determining their antigenic group by Bichrolat
ex serotype A Candida albicans(R) method and by multilocus enzyme elec
trophoresis (8 enzymes assayed: hexokinase, glucose-6-phosphate-dehydr
ogenase, leucine aminopeptidase, malate-dehydrogenase, glucose-phospha
te-isomerase, mannosephosphate-isomerase, valine-leucine peptidase and
lysine-leucine peptidase). Results: Yeast-like flora is similar in cl
oaca and gizzard. Candida albicans was present in 60 birds and no Cryp
tococcus neoformans was isolated. All C, albicans isolates belonged to
the antigenic group A. Isoenzyme profiles study of 60 C. albicans iso
lates showed that genotypic diversity is low and that the same strain
is colonizing the two digestive Sites.