ABSTRACT
In Brazil, 4.5% of the AIDS-related opportunistic infections are caused by Cryptococcus neoformans. This pathogen is a ubiquitous environmental basidiomycetous encapsulated yeast, commonly found in soil and avian excreta. The present study investigates further the population structure of clinical and environmental C. neoformans isolates from south Brazil. One hundred five clinical and 19 environmental (pigeon excreta and Eucalyptus spp.) isolates from the Brazilian state Rio Grande do Sul were characterized based on morphological, biochemical, molecular and serological data. The majority of the clinical and environmental isolates analyzed belonged to C. neoformans var. grubii serotype A (89.5 and 52.6%, respectively), were mating type alpha (98.1 and 94.7%, respectively) and were phospholipase-positive (94.3 and 73.7%, respectively). PCR-fingerprinting with the microsatellite-specific primer M13 and the minisatellite-specific primer (GACA)(4) grouped the majority of the isolates into the molecular type VNI (89.5 of the clinical and 52.6% of the environmental isolates). Our results add considerable new information to the few available data on ecology, molecular biology and epidemiology of C. neoformans in the southern region of Brazil.
Subject(s)
Cryptococcus neoformans/classification , AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections/epidemiology , AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections/microbiology , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Animals , Brazil/epidemiology , Columbidae/microbiology , Cryptococcosis/epidemiology , Cryptococcosis/microbiology , Cryptococcus neoformans/enzymology , Cryptococcus neoformans/genetics , DNA Fingerprinting , DNA, Fungal/chemistry , DNA, Fungal/genetics , Eucalyptus/microbiology , Feces/microbiology , Female , Humans , Male , Microsatellite Repeats/genetics , Middle Aged , Molecular Epidemiology , Phospholipases/metabolism , Polymerase Chain ReactionABSTRACT
The purpose of the present study was to compare the susceptibility to four antifungal agents of 69 Cryptococcus neoformans strains isolated from AIDS patients with that of 13 C. neoformans strains isolated from the environment. Based on the NCCLS M27-A methodology the Minimal Inhibitory Concentrations (MICs) obtained for amphotericin B, itraconazole and ketoconazole were very similar for clinical and environmental isolates. Clinical isolates were less susceptible to fluconazole than environmental isolates. The significance of these findings and aspects concerning the importance, role and difficulties of C. neoformans susceptibility testing are also discussed
Subject(s)
Humans , Antifungal Agents , Cryptococcus neoformans , AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections , Brazil , Cryptococcus neoformans , Environmental Microbiology , Microbial Sensitivity TestsABSTRACT
O caso estudado refere-se a paciente de sexo masculino, 36 anos, feoderma, sem historia de doenca sistemica ou trauma ocular, apresentando ulcera corneana no olho esquerdo. Antes do estabelecimento do diagnostico especifico, o paciente foi tratado com antibiotico associado a corticosteroides durante um mes...
