Candida albicans and C. tropicalis Isolates from the Expired Breathes of Captive Dolphins and Their Environments in an Aquarium

• Main Authors: Hideo Takahashi, Keiichi Ueda, Eiko Nakagawa Itano, Makio Yanagisawa, Yoshiteru Murata, Michiko Murata, Takashi Yaguchi, Masaru Murakami, Katsuhiko Kamei, Tomo Inomata, Hirokazu Miyahara, Ayako Sano, Senzo Uchida
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hindawi Limited 2010-01-01
• Series: Veterinary Medicine International
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.4061/2010/349364

Genotypes of Candida spp. isolated from exhalation of 20 dolphins, 11 water samples from captive pools, and 24 oral cavities of staff members in an aquarium using a combination of multiple drug resistance 1 gene (MDR1) and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) 1 5.8s-ITS 2 regions of ribosomal RNA gene (ITS rDNA) sequences were studied. The holding ratios of the dolphins, captive pools, and staff members were 70, 90, and 29%, respectively. Isolated pathogenic yeast species common to the dolphins and environments were Candida albicans and C. tropicalis. Identical genotypes in both Candida spp. based on the combination of MDR1 and ITSrDNA were found in some dolphins, between a dolphin and a staff, among dolphins and environments, and among environments. The results indicated the diffusion and exchange of pathogenic yeasts at the aquarium among dolphins and environments. The isolates at the aquarium showed higher rates of resistance to azole antifungals compared to reference isolates.