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Comparison of Genotypes Between Environmental and Clinical Isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii Based on Microsatellite Patterns

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Abstract

We applied multilocus microsatellite typing (MLMT) method to investigate the genetic relation between Cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii clinical and environmental isolates in São Paulo, Brazil. This MLMT method includes three functional gene sequences of C. neoformans var. grubii, which are dispersed on three chromosomes. In all, 89 strains (36 clinical and 53 environmental isolates) were analyzed. Of 36 clinical strains, 20 belonged to a major type of MLMT-13 (55.6%). They were mainly isolated from clinical specimens. About 52.8% of strains from the environment belong to a major type of MLMT-36, which are indigenous to environments and which were not isolated from clinical samples. Thus, we recognized two genotypes that distinguish majority of clinical and environmental strains. No differences were found in antifungal susceptibility and capsule size between major environmental and clinical MLMT types.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Special Coordination Funds for Promoting Science and Technology from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan to Y. M. JZ is a recipient of grant for special program “China Nairikubu Jinzai Ikusei Jigyo”. Reference fungal strains were obtained through the National BioResource Project (NBRP) in Japan (http://www.nbrp.jp/).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medical Mycology Research Center (MMRC), Chiba University, Japan 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba, 260-8673, Japan

    Jian Zhu, Yingqian Kang, Jun Uno, Hideaki Taguchi, Ying Liu, Mihoko Ohata, Reiko Tanaka & Yuzuru Mikami

  2. Department of Gastroenterology, Affiliated Hospital of Guiyang Medical College, Guizhou Province, China

    Jian Zhu

  3. Infectious Diseases Division, Faculty of Medicine, State University of Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil

    Maria Luiza Moretti

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  1. Jian Zhu
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  2. Yingqian Kang
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Correspondence to Reiko Tanaka.

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Zhu, J., Kang, Y., Uno, J. et al. Comparison of Genotypes Between Environmental and Clinical Isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii Based on Microsatellite Patterns. Mycopathologia 169, 47–55 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11046-009-9230-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11046-009-9230-8

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