Detection and identification of medically important microorganisms isolated from pigeon excreta collected in a university in a newly industrialized country

Abstract

Exposure to animal feces contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms poses a risk to human health. The presence of fungi and yeasts in environments is related to adverse effects on respiratory health. An objective approach to mitigating possible health effects due to exposure to fungi and yeasts in closed environments is difficult due to the lack of guidelines. The aim of this work was, to identify and characterize microorganisms of medical importance isolated from pigeon feces collected on roof tiles of a university building and also to evaluate the hygienic-sanitary conditions of the study area. Excrement sampling points were established, and the microorganisms were identified by standard biochemical and microbiological methods followed by MALDI-TOF proteomics for identification at the species level. Microbial identification revealed the presence of medically important microorganisms in the samples analyzed, namely the fungi Candida krusei, Candida rugosa, Aspergillus spp., Cryptococcus neoformans and Trichosporon asahii and bacterium Klebsiela pneumoniae. The results obtained demonstrated the need for the development of methods that help mitigate risks to human health due to exposure to pathogenic agents in environments such as that studied.

Keywords

• Animal feces
• Contamination
• Exposure
• MALDI-TOF
• Microbial load
• Risk mitigation