Biomaterial Database

A natural focus of Histoplasma capsulatum var. duboisii is a bat cave. 1994

H C Gugnani, and F A Muotoe-Okafor, and L Kaufman, and B Dupont

Department of Microbiology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

The natural reservoir of Histoplasma capsulatum var. duboisii, the etiological agent of histoplasmosis duboisii (African histoplasmosis) is not yet known. We report the isolation of H. capsulatum var. duboisii from soil admixed with bat guano and from the intestinal contents of a bat in a sandstone cave in a rural area, Ogbunike in Anambra State of Nigeria. Eight of 45 samples of soil admixed with bat guano yielded H. capsulatum var. duboisii. Of the 35 bats belonging to the species Nycteris hispida and Tadirida pumila examined, only one (N. hispida) yielded this fungus from its intestinal contents. Identification of the isolates as Histoplasma was confirmed by exoantigen tests and by mating with tester strains of H. capsulatum. In vitro conversion to large yeast from suggestive of H. capsulatum var. duboisii was obtained on brain heart infusion agar supplemented with sheep blood and glutamine or cysteine. Pathogenicity tests with mice for all the isolates confirmed their identity by the demonstration of large yeast forms (8-15 microns in diameter) within giant cells in the infected tissues. Investigations on the possible occurrence of human infections in the area are in progress.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D009549	Nigeria	A republic in western Africa, south of NIGER between BENIN and CAMEROON. Its capital is Abuja.	Federal Republic of Nigeria
D002685	Chiroptera	Order of mammals whose members are adapted for flight. It includes bats, flying foxes, and fruit bats.	Bats,Flying Foxes,Horseshoe Bats,Pteropodidae,Pteropus,Rhinolophus,Rousettus,Bat, Horseshoe,Bats, Horseshoe,Foxes, Flying,Horseshoe Bat
D005243	Feces	Excrement from the INTESTINES, containing unabsorbed solids, waste products, secretions, and BACTERIA of the DIGESTIVE SYSTEM.
D006658	Histoplasma	A mitosporic Onygenales fungal genus causing HISTOPLASMOSIS in humans and animals. Its single species is Histoplasma capsulatum which has two varieties: H. capsulatum var. capsulatum and H. capsulatum var. duboisii. Its teleomorph is AJELLOMYCES capsulatus.	Ajellomyces capsulatus,Cryptococcus capsulatus,Emmonsiella capsulata,Histoplasma capsulatum,Histoplasmas
D006660	Histoplasmosis	Infection resulting from exposure to the fungus HISTOPLASMA.	African Histoplasmosis,Disseminated Histoplasmosis,Histoplasma duboisii Infection,Pulmonary Histoplasmosis,Histoplasma Infection,Histoplasma capsulatum Infection,Histoplasma Infections,Histoplasma capsulatum Infections,Histoplasma duboisii Infections,Histoplasmosis, African,Histoplasmosis, Disseminated,Histoplasmosis, Pulmonary,Infection, Histoplasma,Infection, Histoplasma capsulatum,Infection, Histoplasma duboisii
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D000946	Antigens, Fungal	Substances of fungal origin that have antigenic activity.	Fungal Antigen,Fungal Antigens,Antigen, Fungal
D012988	Soil Microbiology	The presence of bacteria, viruses, and fungi in the soil. This term is not restricted to pathogenic organisms.	Microbiology, Soil
D051379	Mice	The common name for the genus Mus.	Mice, House,Mus,Mus musculus,Mice, Laboratory,Mouse,Mouse, House,Mouse, Laboratory,Mouse, Swiss,Mus domesticus,Mus musculus domesticus,Swiss Mice,House Mice,House Mouse,Laboratory Mice,Laboratory Mouse,Mice, Swiss,Swiss Mouse,domesticus, Mus musculus