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Cryptococcus neoformans, Cryptococcus gattii: Serotypes in Venezuela

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Abstract

Cryptococcus neoformans is one of the medically important yeast-like fungi. C. neoformans var. gatti has been made a species: C. gatti. In our country, there are few studies about these two species and their serotypes. The aim of this study was to determine the distribution of C. neoformans and C. gattii, and their serotypes in Venezuelan clinical isolates. One hundred and twenty C. neoformans and 12 C. gattii clinical isolates were identified by l-canavanine, glycine, and bromothymol blue agar media (CGB). These were investigated by agglutination and adsorption studies with anticryptococcal sera, which were produced by rabbit immunization. Of the 132 isolates 59.8% were typed serotype A (C. neoformans), followed by 25.8% serotype D (C. neoformans), 5.3% serotype AD (C. neoformans), and 5.3% were typed serotype C (var. gattii). Additionally 3.8% were serotype B (C. gattii).

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Acknowledgments

We thank Mireya Mendoza, Departamento de Micologia, Instituto de Biomedicina, Caracas, for the donation of the control strains; and Mercedes Panizo, Departamento de Micología, Instituto Nacional de Higiene, Caracas, for donation of the serotype B control strain, originally from Belgium. This work was partly supported by the project: CDCH Nº PI 09-005384-2004 and Fonacit Project Nº LAB-2000001587 of the “Rafael Rangel” culture collection.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sección de Micología Médica, Instituto de Medicina Tropical, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Apartado 47408, Los Chaguaramos, Caracas, 1041, Venezuela

    C. Pérez, A. Roselló, Claudia R. Hartung de Capriles, M. E. Landaeta & S. Mata-Essayag

  2. Departamento de Micología, Instituto Nacional de Higiene, Caracas, Venezuela

    M. Dolande

  3. Departamento de Bioterio, Instituto Nacional de Higiene, Caracas, Venezuela

    M. Moya

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  1. C. Pérez
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  2. M. Dolande
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  3. M. Moya
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  4. A. Roselló
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Correspondence to C. Pérez.

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Pérez, C., Dolande, M., Moya, M. et al. Cryptococcus neoformans, Cryptococcus gattii: Serotypes in Venezuela. Mycopathologia 166, 149–153 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11046-008-9132-1

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