Polyphasic identification (MALDI-TOF + ITS) of mucosal yeasts in hybrid marmosets from Rio de Janeiro

Abstract Callithrix comprises primates popularly known as marmosets. In the city of Rio de Janeiro, the occurrence of a hybrid form of invasive species prevails. These animals, treated here as Callithrix spp., host several microorganisms in their microbiota, some of which can be pathogenic for humans. The aim of this study to describe culture-dependent yeast microbiota of the oral, rectal, and vaginal mucosae of hybrid marmosets (Callithrix spp.) inhabiting an urban–forest interface in the Atlantic Forest of Rio de Janeiro. Oral, rectal and vaginal samples were collected from 12 individuals during the winter of 2022. Animals were apparently healthy. The microbial agents obtained by culture isolation were identified to species level by polyphasic taxonomy using the MALDI-TOF MS and partial sequence of the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS1-5.8 S-ITS2) of ribosomal. A total of 26 fungal isolates were obtained. The most isolated species in the study was Candida parapsilosis, and the least frequent yeast were of genus Pichia sp., Trichosporon sp., and Torulaspora sp. Fungal infections in wild animals, depending on the causal agent, can be extremely pathogenic and contagious not only among animals, but also among humans, therefore fungal identification in these animals is important for future perspective.