Abstract
A network was established to acquire basic knowledge of Cryptococcus neoformans in IberoAmerican countries. To this effect, 340 clinical, veterinary, and environmental isolates from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela, Guatemala, and Spain were typed by using M13 polymerase chain reaction-fingerprinting and orotidine monophosphate pyrophosphorylase (URA5) gene restriction fragment length polymorphsm analysis with HhaI and Sau96I in a double digest. Both techniques grouped all isolates into eight previously established molecular types. The majority of the isolates, 68.2% (n=232), were VNI (var. grubii, serotype A), which accords with the fact that this variety causes most human cryptococcal infections worldwide. A smaller proportion, 5.6% (n=19), were VNII (var. grubii, serotype A); 4.1% (n=14), VNIII (AD hybrid), with 9 isolates having a polymorphism in the URA5 gene; 1.8% (n=6), VNIV (var. neoformans, serotype D); 3.5% (n=12), VGI; 6.2% (n=21), VGII; 9.1% (n=31), VGIII, and 1.5% (n=5) VGIV, with all four VG types containing var. gattii serotypes B and C isolates.
Highlights
Cryptococcosis is among the most prevalent life-threatening mycoses and has a worldwide distribution
polymerase chain reaction (PCR) fingerprinting has been used as the major typing technique in the ongoing global molecular epidemiologic survey of C. neoformans [14,18], dividing >400 clinical and environmental isolates into eight major molecular types: VNI, VNII, VNIII, VNIV, VGI, VGII, VGIII, and VGIV
No correlation between serotype and molecular type has been found for C. neoformans var. gattii
Summary
Cryptococcosis is among the most prevalent life-threatening mycoses and has a worldwide distribution. Grubii, serotype A [3], C. neoformans var. In immunocompromised hosts, most infections are caused by C. neoformans var. A number of DNA typing techniques have been used to study the epidemiology of C. neoformans. These techniques include karyotyping, random amplification of polymorphic DNA, restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), DNA hybridization studies, amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP), and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) fingerprinting [12,13,14,15,16,17]. No correlation between serotype and molecular type has been found for C. neoformans var. The molecular types were recently confirmed by RFLP analysis of the orotidine monophosphate pyrophosphorylase (URA5) gene and the phospholipase (PLB1) gene [19]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
