DOI: 10.36347/sajb.2013.v01i06.007

Pages: 263-266

Melanin production by species of Cryptococcus is widely used to characterize Cryptococcus neoformans. An agar medium which contains a precursor of melanin is used to test the pigment production by Cryptococcus neoformans. This study aimed to compare the pigment production of pathogenic and non pathogenic Cryptococcus neoformans on various media. Cryptococcus isolates which were obtained from pigeon droppings and HIV samples were inoculated on different media such as mustard seed agar, henna agar, cabbage agar, and tobacco agar and observed for the rate of growth and pigment production. 10 isolates of C. neoformans showed growth on the first day on Tobacco agar medium, whereas 5 isolates showed pigment production on same medium. 8 isolates of C. neoformans showed growth on the first day on Henna medium and 5 isolates showed growth on the same medium.Whereas in mustard seed agar and cabbage agar, there was no Cryptococcus growth on first day.