Banca de DEFESA: GÊNESES DA SILVA FERREIRA

Cloacal microbiota of Chelonoidis carbonaria (Sauropsida, Testudine) associated with human presence in two areas of Northeast Brazil

Chelonoidis, yeasts, mycobiota.

Tortoise farming has become popular in recent years. This approach between humans and these animals has some implications, as these animals can spread pathogens in the residential environment. This work aims to verify the yeast-like mycobiota of Chelonoidis carbonaria in unconventional PET conditions, evaluating the relationship of species richness between collection sites, season, microclimate, altitude and sex, in addition to verifying the resistance of these yeasts to antifungals. This mycobiota was collected using cloacal swabs from forty individuals from two locations with different microclimates. The yeasts were identified through evaluation of their macro and microscopic characteristics, chromagar and Maldi-TOF. Fifteen different yeasts were identified. Geotrichum spp., Candida tropicalis, Candida krusei and Geotrichum silvicola being the most common. There was a significant difference in the number of species between seasons and collection sites, but there was no difference between sexes. All yeasts were sensitive to amphotericin-B, one was resistant to nystatin, one was sensitive to itraconazole and four were resistant to fluconazole. These animals have a great potential to disperse infectious agents, as they have opportunistic yeasts in their mycobiota with great pathogenic potential. Other studies comparing the mycobiota of these animals with other free-living animals can better clarify the real potential of these animals as dispersers.