Subject: Histoplasma capsulatum in caves?

From: [email-masked]
Date: 26 Jan 1995 04:24:02 -0800

I am a graduate student of the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez.
I would like to know is somebody is working right now isolating
Histoplasma capsulatum from bat manure from caves.  I will begin my
research at Mona Island's caves in February of this year. 

Also I have another question: Is there another way to isolate this fungus
without the use of laboratory animals? 

					Thanks for the help;
					Angel M. Nieves-Rivera

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From: [email-masked] (Lester Pasarell)
Date: 26 Jan 1995 06:18:35 -0800

>without the use of laboratory animals? 
Hi there!! I am not currently working with the isolation of H. capsulatum 
>from  caves, but I do work with the organism from clinical specimens. I assume
that a good medium for the isolation of H capsulatum from contaminated sources
could be a medium that contains cycloheximide with chloramphenicol 
and gentamicin, and maybe incubating it at 35C, this will hopefully inhibit
saprophytic fungi along with bacteria.
Another medium that could be used is Yeast-Extract-Phosphate Agar that uses
ammonium hydroxide, concentrated as the agent to get rid of the contaminants
a detailed recipe for the media above can be obtained from :
  Laboratory Handbook of Medical Mycology by Michael R. McGinnis, 1980
  Academic Press, NY
or if you want me I could fax or mail you the formulation.

One note is that some isolates of H capsulatum may become susceptible to
cycloheximide and chloramphenicol at temperatures above 35C

Hope you have a lot of fun in Mona Island, be careful with the Goats and 
Iguanas!!!

Please let me know if I can be or further help

Lester Pasarell                       E-Mail= [email-masked]
Mycology Research Laboratory
Center for Tropical Diseases
University of Texas Medical Branch
Galveston, Texas 77555-0609
USA