Abstract
As human populaces develop, they are progressively squeezed into higher living densities. The same is true for horticulture and animals expected to bolster these communities. Despite the high potential for zoonotic transmission, connections among humans and cattle have been understudied; however,
Candida albicans
remains the most important medical mycosis. The genesis of the mycobiome can vary, and interactions between humans and cattle are progressively being perceived as a key interface for disease transmission.
αINT1
is a unique gene from
Candida albicans
; hence, it has been used for detection as well as intraspecific and interspecific phylogenetic analysis of
C. albicans
collected from human patients and cattle with pulmonary distress in urban–rural populations. A total of 1,921 specimens were examined by direct microscopy and culture to recover yeast associated with human infection. Identification was performed by micromorphology using an API 20C AUX system. The fungal species identified in bovine nasal specimens were
Alternaria
species (15%),
Penicillium
species, and
C. albicans
(6.7%). Other fungal species, such as
Aspergillus niger
,
Torulopsis
species,
Mucor
species (5%),
Aspergillus flavus
,
Fusarium
species,
Trichosporon
species (3.3%),
C. rugosa
,
C. tropical
, and
Saccharomyces
species (1.7%), were also isolated. In human sputum specimens,
C. albicans
(20%) and
C. parapsilosis
(2.7%) were the only reported yeast species in our samples. The four identified
C. albicans
species (two human and two cattle) were subjected to
αINT1
gene sequence analysis, which confirmed major phylogenetic relationships among human and cattle isolates. This finding highlights the public health importance of bovines as a potential source for
C. albicans
zoonotic transmission to humans in an urban–rural community. Additionally, the close relationship between circulating
C. albicans
strains recorded in Egypt and the United States indicates the possible cross-species transmission of
C. albicans
between imported foreign and native cattle breeds.