Cryptococcosis is a fungal infection caused by yeast species of Cryptococcus genus, particularly Cryptococcus neoformans/Cryptococcus gattii species complex. The knowledge of the cryptococcosis casuistic in northeastern Argentina is scarce and there is no information about the molecular types circulating in this area. The aim of this study was to genotyping C. neoformans/C. gattii complex clinical isolates obtained at Hospital "Dr. Julio C. Perrando", Resistencia city (Chaco, Argentina), in order to determine species, variety and molecular type. During two years and one month 26 clinical isolates were studied. Using conventional and molecular methods one isolate was identified as C. gattii VGI type, and 25 isolates as C. neoformans var. grubii; 23 of these belonged to VNI type and two belonged to VNII type. This data is a contribution to the knowledge of cryptococcosis epidemiology in Argentina and the first report about C. neoformans/ C. gattii complex molecular types from clinical isolates in northeastern Argentina.

The carbapenemase-producing enterobacteriaceae (CPE) are one of the main concerns of global health, mainly those that are encoded by plasmids. The aim was to describe the progress of colonization by CPE in anal swabs of patients of intensive care unit (ICU) and COVID-ICU in an adult hospital from Chaco province, Argentina. A descriptive retrospective study was carried out between 2021 January to August. 379 anal swabs were studied, in 26% (n=98) CPE were detected. K. pneumoniae was the more frequent isolate. In January, in COVID-ICU, 18% of anal swabs where positive, being all identified as KPC carbapenemase. In August, in COVID-ICU, the total of positive anal swab raised to 81% and all detected carbapenemase were MBL type. In ICU, the percentage of positive anal swabs increased from 14% in January to 49% in August, where both KPC and MBL carbapenemases were detected. Of The total of colonized patients, 15% developed CPE infection. Active surveillance and control measures are necessary to keep down the spread of CPE.