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
Hha
I and
Sau
96I 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.
