Detection of Cryptococcus gattii in Selected Urban Parks of the Willamette Valley, Oregon
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Detection of Cryptococcus gattii in Selected Urban Parks of the Willamette Valley, Oregon Jack A. Mortenson • Karen H. Bartlett • Randy W. Wilson • Shawn R. Lockhart
Received: 1 November 2012 / Accepted: 3 January 2013 / Published online: 26 January 2013 Ó U.S. Government 2013
Abstract Human and animal infections of the fungus Cryptococcus gattii have been recognized in Oregon since 2006. Transmission is primarily via airborne environmental spores and now thought to be locally acquired due to infection in non-migratory animals and humans with no travel history. Previous published efforts to detect C. gattii from tree swabs and soil samples in Oregon have been unsuccessful. This study was conducted to determine the presence of C. gattii in selected urban parks of Oregon cities within the Willamette Valley where both human and animal cases of C. gattii have been diagnosed. Urban parks were sampled due to spatial and temporal overlap of humans, companion animals and wildlife. Two of 64 parks had positive samples for C. gattii. One park had a The findings and conclusions of this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. J. A. Mortenson R. W. Wilson USDA, APHIS, Veterinary Services, Salem, OR, USA J. A. Mortenson (&) USDA, Veterinary Services, 1550 Irving St SW Suite 100, Tumwater, WA, USA e-mail: [email protected] K. H. Bartlett University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada S. R. Lockhart Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
positive tree and the other park, 60 miles away, had positive bark mulch samples from a walkway. Genotypic subtypes identified included C. gattii VGIIa and VGIIc, both considered highly virulent in murine host models. Keywords Cryptococcus gattii Oregon Environmental sampling Urban parks Douglas fir tree Bark mulch Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii
Introduction Cryptococcus gattii, an important pathogen in humans and animals, has a worldwide distribution [1, 2]. In 1999, an outbreak of C. gattii infections in humans emerged on Vancouver Island, BC, Canada [3]. Additional Pacific Northwest human and veterinary (domestic and wild) cases were first identified in 2006–2008 from Washington and Oregon, respectively [4–7]. Since then, cases in multiple states have been documented [8]. Transmission of C. gattii appears to be primarily by exposure to aerosolized fungal spores in the environment. Although not fully known, it is assumed significant percentages of C. gattii infections in Oregon are acquired locally due to infection in nonmigratory animals and humans with no travel history to C. gattii endemic areas [4, 8, 9]. The presence of C. gattii from environmental samples of trees, soils,
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and bark mulch has been well documented in British Columbia, Canada and to a lesser extent in Washington state, but there are no published reports of C. gattii from environmental samples in Oregon [4]. Little is known about the environmental and climatic conditions r
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