Clonal Dispersal of Cryptococcus gattii VGII in an Endemic Region of Cryptococcosis in Colombia.

ABSTRACT: This study characterized the genotype and phenotype of Cryptococcus gattii VGII isolates from Cucuta, an endemic region of cryptococcal disease in Colombia, and compared these traits with those from representative isolates from the Vancouver Island outbreak (VGIIa and VGIIb). Genetic diversity was assessed by multilocus sequence typing (MLST) analysis. Phenotypic characteristics, including growth capacity under different temperature and humidity conditions, macroscopic and microscopic morphology, phenotypic switching, mating type, and activity of extracellular enzymes were studied. Virulence was studied in vivo in a mouse model. MLST analysis showed that the isolates from Cucuta were highly clonal, with ST25 being the most common genotype. Phenotypically, isolates from Cucuta showed large

SUBMITTER: Firacative C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6616963 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature