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Ferrets as Sentinels of the Presence of Pathogenic Cryptococcus Species in the Mediterranean Environment

2014; Springer Science+Business Media; Volume: 178; Issue: 1-2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1007/s11046-014-9773-1

1573-0832

Neus Morera, Ferry Hagen, Carles Juan‐Sallés, Carlos Trucharte Artigas, Rui Patrício, Juan Ignacio Serra, Ma Francisca Colom,

Antifungal resistance and susceptibility

Cryptococcus gattii is a pathogenic environmental yeast that is considered to be emerging in different areas of the world including the Mediterranean Basin. Exposure to infection might be more likely in animals than in human beings, given their closer relationship with the natural habitat of the yeast, vegetation and soil. Thus, animals, and especially pets, can act as indicators of the presence of this yeast in a determined area. Domestic ferrets (Mustela putorius furo) have become common pets in the past 10-20 years. Their natural behavior of sniffing around and going inside narrow spaces makes them prone to contact with decaying organic matter and soil, the substrate for Cryptococcus species. This study describes two cases of cryptococcosis in ferrets in the Iberian Peninsula and Balearic Islands and documents a relationship of ferret cryptococcosis with environmental isolates in the same locations. Here, we emphasize the importance of how an adequate identification and environmental search of the yeast leads to a better understanding of the epidemiology of cryptococcosis and suggests ferrets may act as sentinels for this fungal disease.