Multilocus sequence typing of Cryptococcus neoformans in non-HIV associated cryptococcosis in Nagasaki, Japan. (April 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mihara, Tomo; Izumikawa, Koichi; Kakeya, Hiroshi; Ngamskulrungroj, Popchai; Umeyama, Takashi; Takazono, Takahiro; Tashiro, Masato; Nakamura, Shigeki; Imamura, Yoshifumi; Miyazaki, Taiga; Ohno, Hideaki; Yamamoto, Yoshihiro; Yanagihara, Katsunori; Miyzaki, Yoshitsugu; Kohno, Shigeru
• Is Part Of: Medical mycology. Volume 51:Number 3(2013)
• Page Start: 252
• Page End: 260
• Publication Date: 2013-04
• Subjects: Medical mycology -- Periodicals; Veterinary mycology -- Periodicals; Mycology -- Periodicals; Mycoses -- Periodicals; Pathogenic fungi -- Periodicals; 616.969005
• DOI: 10.3109/13693786.2012.708883
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1369-3786

Abstract

<abstract> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <p>Cryptococcosis is primarily caused by two <italic>Cryptococcus</italic> species, i.e., <italic>Cryptococcus neoformans</italic> and <italic>C. gattii</italic>. Both include several genetically diverse subgroups that can be differentiated using various molecular strain typing methods. Since little is known about the molecular epidemiology of the <italic>C. neoformans</italic>/<italic>C. gattii</italic> species complex in Japan, we conducted a molecular epidemiological analysis of 35 <italic>C. neoformans</italic> isolates from non-HIV patients in Nagasaki, Japan and 10 environmental isolates from Thailand. All were analyzed using <italic>URA5</italic>-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Combined sequence data for all isolates were evaluated with the neighbor-joining method. All were found to be serotype A and mating type MATα. Thirty-two of the 35 clinical isolates molecular type VNI, while the three remaining isolates were VNII as determined through the <italic>URA5</italic>-RFLP method. Thirty-one of the VNI isolates were identified as MLST sequence type (ST) 5, the remaining one was ST 32 and the three VNII isolates were found to be ST 43. All the environmental isolates were identified as molecular type VNI (four MLST ST 5 and six ST 4). Our study shows that <italic>C. neoformans</italic> isolates in Nagasaki are genetically homogeneous, with most of the isolates being ST 5.</p> </abstract>