Isolation of Cryptococcus neoformans, C. gattii and C. laurentii from central nervous system of dogs in Rio de Janeiro City, RJ, Brazil

The cryptococcosis is an opportunistic systemic mycosis, which can affect humans and various animal species, especially in cases of immunosuppression. The infection can be acquired through inhalation and by hematogenous route has the ability to reach and colonize the central nervous system. The aim of this survey was the isolation of the Cryptococcus neoformans yeast from central nervous system of dogs and cats in Rio de Janeiro City. Periodic collections were made from brain samples at the rabies diagnosis laboratory in Instituto Municipal de Medicina Veterinaria Jorge Vaitsman (IJV), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The isolation and the identification of this yeast were performed at the Laboratory of environmental and pathogenic yeasts of the Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ). According to the results, of the 201 clinical samples (166 samples from dogs and 35 from cats), we found four positives samples; one of these was positive for C. laurentii, two were positive for Cryptococcus neoformans; and one Cryptococcus gattii. In this paper we reported the first isolation of Cryptococcus laurentii from the central nervous system of dogs.