Cryptococcus neoformans sensu lato are basidiomycetous yeast that are found in the environment and can cause infections in humans. In recent years, various tree species around the world have been described as their ecological niche. Their presence in the environment is conditioned with the amount of preciptation and temperature. In the Mediterranean the prevalent species is C. neoformans sensu stricto, while C. deneoformans prefers continental climate. The aim of our study was to determine the presence of Cryptococcus neoformans sensu lato on various tree species in Slovenia. Sampeling was performed in six different statistical regions in the country, covering the whole area of Slovenia. Three hundred thirty-two samples from trees and grapevine were collected. The source of samples were leaves, fruits, soil under the trees, bird excreta on trunk, bark, fissures and inner trunk hollows. Samples were cultured on niger seed agar medium. Brownish or creamy colonies, resembling for Cryptococcus spp. were identified with MALDI TOF MS. All four recovered isolates were identified as C. neoformans sensu stricto, obtained from Italian stone pine (Pinus pinea) and olive tree (Olea europea). In addition, all isolates were recovered from fissure and inner trunk hollow swabs in the Costal-Karst statistical region. The antifungal susceptibility testing was performed by broth microdilution method for all cryptococcal isolates. According to antifungal susceptibility testing results, the isolates are most susceptible to itraconazole and posaconazole.
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