Molecular epidemiology of clinical and environmental isolates of the<i>Cryptococcus neoformans</i>species complex reveals a high genetic diversity and the presence of the molecular type VGII mating type a in Colombia

Escandón, Patricia; Sánchez, A.; Martı́nez, Marcela; Meyer, Wieland; Castañeda, Elizabeth

doi:10.1111/j.1567-1364.2006.00055.x

Cited by 110 publications

(105 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…However, it is worth mentioning that this multiplex PCR has been proven to be an excellent choice for C. neoformans serotypes A and D. An important fact, is that all C. neoformans var. grubii isolates recovered were molecular type VNI and most of the C. gattii isolates were molecular type VGIII (67%), which is in agreement with other studies made in Colombia, where these molecular types had been the most prevalent within these species (12,25).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…gattii species complex recovered in this study was very small, this is the first report about the isolation of C. gattii serotype B from the environment in Cúcuta. This report confirms the presence of C. gattii in a terrestrial ecosystem, and although the isolate recovered was molecular type VGI, in contradistinction to the clinical isolates that have been recovered in Cúcuta, which are the majority molecular type VGII (12), the isolation of C. gattii serotype B helps us to clarify how the incidence of human cases of cryptococcosis reported in this Colombian city, could be probably due to the environmental exposure to this fungus, due to the fact that the recovering of C. gattii from the environment in Cúcuta had been only reported for serotype C isolates (11). Additionally, this suggests that it is necessary to do further studies in order to recover environmental isolates belonging to the same molecular pattern as the clinical isolates.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

“…However, while C. gattii serotype C, has been isolated in Cúcuta from almond trees (Terminalia catappa) (11), C. gattii serotype B has not been recovered from the environment in spite of the high incidence of this serotype associated with cryptococcosis, which is 77% out of the reported cases in immunocompetent patients (9,10). Additionally, the vast majority of clinical isolates of C. gattii serotype B recovered in Cúcuta since 1990, belong to the molecular type VGII (12), the same molecular type of the high virulence isolates associated with the Vancouver Island outbreak (13), where an increasing number of cases of cryptococcosis in both human and animals caused by C. gattii serotype B have been reported (14).…”

Section: Cryptococcus Gattii Serotype B In Cúcutamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Primer aislamiento ambiental de Cryptococcus gattii de serotipo B, en Cúcuta, Colombia

Firacative

Torres

Rodríguez³

et al. 2011

biomedica

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Introduction. In Cúcuta, Cryptococcus gattii serotype B is commonly recovered from immunocompetent patients with cryptococcosis, but it has not been recovered from the environment in spite of its high incidence which is 77% out of reported cases. Objective. The aim of this work was to carry out an extensive environmental sampling in Cúcuta, in an attempt to isolate C. gattii serotype B and to expand our knowledge about the ecology and epidemiology of this important yeast. Materials and methods. Samples associated with 3,634 trees from 40 zones of Cúcuta were collected and processed with 28 samples collected near the houses of four patients with cryptococcosis caused by C. gattii serotype B. The serotype of the recovered isolates was done using multiplex PCR, molecular patterns were determined by RFLP of the URA5 gene and mating type was determined using the primers MfαU, MfαL, MFa2U and MFa2L. Results. In total, 4,389 samples were processed and one isolate of C. gattii serotype B (VGI/a), two isolates of C. gattii serotype C (VGIII/α) and three isolates of C. neoformans var. grubii, serotype A (VNI/α), were recovered. The density of the recovered isolates varied from 50 to 350 cfu/g of soil.Conclusions. This is the first report on the environmental isolation of C. gattii serotype B from Cúcuta. However, because of the low rate of recovery of isolates from soil only, the environmental niche of C. gattii has not been established and further environmental studies in Cúcuta are necessary, owing that this serotype is not only causing cryptococcosis but also has shown a higher virulence after the Vancouver outbreak.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

Section: Cryptococcus Gattii Serotype B In Cúcutamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Primer aislamiento ambiental de Cryptococcus gattii de serotipo B, en Cúcuta, Colombia

Firacative

Torres

Rodríguez³

et al. 2011

biomedica

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“…Cryptic same-sex reproduction enabled expansion to a new geographical niche and contributed to the ongoing production of infectious spores [20]. Serotype C strains only rarely cause human infection [21,22].…”

Section: Classification Of Cryptococcus Neoformans and C Gattiimentioning

confidence: 99%

Phenotypic Switching of Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii

Jain

Fries

2008

Mycopathologia

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Microorganisms that live in fluctuating environments must constantly adapt their behavior to survive. The host constitutes an important microenvironment in opportunistic and primary fungal pathogens like Cryptococcus neoformans (C. neoformans) and Cryptococcus gattii (C. gattii). In clonal populations, adaptation may be achieved through the generation of diversity. For fungi phenotype switching constitutes a mechanism that allows them to change rapidly. Both C. neoformans and C. gattii undergo phenotypic switching, which allows them to be successful pathogens and cause persistent disease. Similar to other encapsulated microbes that exhibit phenotypic variation, phenotypic switching in Cryptococcus changes the polysaccharide capsule. Most importantly, in animal models phenotypic switching affects virulence and can change the outcome of infection. Virulence changes because C. neoformans and C. gattii switch variants elicit different inflammatory responses in the host. This altered host response can also affect the response to antifungal therapy and in some cases may even promote the selection of switch variants. This review highlights the similarity and difference between phenotypic switching in C. neoformans and C. gattii, the two dominant species that cause cryptococcosis in humans.

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“…Epidemiological surveys have shown that mating type α strains are most prevalent in serotype A isolates, both clinical and environmental (16), whereas in serotype B, we found that mating type a is more frequent in Colombia (17).…”

mentioning

confidence: 53%

Determinación in vitro de la pareja sexual en aislamientos del complejo Cryptococcus neoformans

et al. 2007

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Introduction. Within the Cryptococcus neoformans species complex, two species and five serotypes are recognized: C. neoformans (var. grubii, serotype A; var. neoformans, serotype D and a hybrid, serotype AD) and C. gattii (serotypes B and C). Mating types a and α are designated by a single locus, with the mating type α being most prevalent in serotype A and D strains. Objective. To evaluate the ability of Colombian isolates of the C. neoformans species complex to mate in vitro with tester strains of the opposite mating type. Materials and methods. Fifty three clinical isolates were included in this study, 33 C. neoformans var. grubii serotype A, 4 C. neoformans var. neoformans serotype D, all mating type α, and 16 C. gattii, 13 serotype B (mating type a) and 3 serotype C (mating type α ), were mixed on V8 juice agar, using a modified method, with the appropriate tester strains to determine the mating types in vitro. Results. Mating studies revealed that 9 of 33 (27.3%) serotype A isolates and 6 of 13 (46.2%) serotype B isolates were able to mate. Clamp connections and basidia with basidiospores were observed microscopically, indicating that the mating process had occurred. All mating competent serotype A strains were mating type alpha and the serotype B mating competent strains were mating type a. Conclusion. This is the first report of the determination of the mating ability of Colombian Cryptococcus neoformans isolates to mate in vitro with appropriate tester strains, which is of great importance to study the propagation of the fungus around the globe.

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Molecular epidemiology of clinical and environmental isolates of theCryptococcus neoformansspecies complex reveals a high genetic diversity and the presence of the molecular type VGII mating type a in Colombia

Cited by 110 publications

References 47 publications

Primer aislamiento ambiental de Cryptococcus gattii de serotipo B, en Cúcuta, Colombia

Primer aislamiento ambiental de Cryptococcus gattii de serotipo B, en Cúcuta, Colombia

Phenotypic Switching of Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii

Determinación in vitro de la pareja sexual en aislamientos del complejo Cryptococcus neoformans

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