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Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical

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Insights on the genotype distribution among Cryptococcus neoformans and C. gattii Portuguese clinical isolates

This study provides a comprehensive picture of the C. neoformans/C. gattii molecular types most often associated with human cryptococcosis in Portugal and assesses the impact of C. gattii in these infections. One hundred and twenty-two clinical isolates, from distinct patients, were identified as C. neoformans and genotyped by URA5-RFLP, with the molecular types VNI (45.5 %) and VNIII (30.9 %) being the most commonly found ones. The molecular types VNII (11.4 %) and VNIV (11.4 %) were less abundant. One patient was found to be infected with a VGII isolate. This patient exhibited unusual clinical symptoms of cryptococcosis, reinforcing the suspicion for the presence of a different genotypic pattern, as determined afterwards. This case was detected in 2007 and is the first report of a potential autochthonous C. gattii infection case in Portugal, as the patient revealed no historical record of travelling outside the country.

Insights on the genotype distribution among Cryptococcus neoformans and C. gattii Portuguese clinical isolates

This study provides a comprehensive picture of the C. neoformans/C. gattii molecular types most often associated with human cryptococcosis in Portugal and assesses the impact of C. gattii in these infections. One hundred and twenty-two clinical isolates, from distinct patients, were identified as C. neoformans and genotyped by URA5-RFLP, with the molecular types VNI (45.5 %) and VNIII (30.9 %) being the most commonly found ones. The molecular types VNII (11.4 %) and VNIV (11.4 %) were less abundant. One patient was found to be infected with a VGII isolate. This patient exhibited unusual clinical symptoms of cryptococcosis, reinforcing the suspicion for the presence of a different genotypic pattern, as determined afterwards. This case was detected in 2007 and is the first report of a potential autochthonous C. gattii infection case in Portugal, as the patient revealed no historical record of travelling outside the country.