Molecular epidemiological study of Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii in Shenzhen / 中华传染病杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To study the epidemiological features of Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii isolated from clinical samples in Shenzhen and to elucidate the distribution of species,varieties,genotypes and mating types within the strains tested.Methods The strains involved in this study were 55 cryptococcal strains isolated from our clinical samples.The canavanine-glycine bromthymolblue (CGB) culture was performed to distinguish Cryptococcus neoformans from Cryptococcus gattii.The genotype was characterized by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) fingerprinting with primer M13.The Cryptococcus gattii species and varieties of grubii and neoformans together with two opposite mating type α and a were identified by PCR with variety-specific and mating type-specific primers.The GEF1-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis was conducted to simultaneously determine the genotype and mating types of strains tested.The sequence type of IGS1 region was analyzed for the VG Ⅱ genotype.Results Of the 55 tested cryptococcal strains,52 were Cryptococcus neoformans,all of which were var.grubii,genotype VN Ⅰ and mating type α.The remaining 3 strains were Cryptococcus gattii,among which,one was genotype VG Ⅰ and mating type α,and two were genotype VG Ⅱ and mating type α.The two VGⅡ genotype strains belonged to the sequence type Ⅱ.Conclusions The strains belonging to the Cryptococcus neoformans var.grubii,genotype VN Ⅰ and mating type α predominate in causative pathogens of cryptococcosis in Shenzhen.Cryptococcus gattii accounts for minority of the cryptococcal isolates,and the highly pathogenic VG Ⅱ genotypes in foreign countries are also characterized.The sequence types of IGS1 region of the two VG Ⅱ strains are in accord with VG Ⅱb sub-genotype.