Cryptococcus gattii in AIDS patients, southern California.
Cryptococcus isolates from AIDS patients in southern California were characterized by molecular analyses. Pheromone MFalpha1 and MFa1 gene fragments were polymerase chain reaction-amplified with fluorescently labeled primers and analyzed by capillary electrophoresis (CE) on DNA analyzer. CE-fragment-length analyses (CE-FLAs) and CE-single-strand conformation polymorphisms (CE-SSCPs) were used to determine Cryptococcus gattii (Cg), C. neoformans (Cn) varieties neoformans (CnVN) and grubii (CnVG), mating types, and hybrids. Corroborative tests carried out in parallel included growth on specialized media and serotyping with a commercial kit. All 276 clinical strains tested as haploid MATalpha by CE-FLA. CE-SSCP analyses of MFalpha1 showed 219 (79.3%) CnVG, 23 (8.3%) CnVN, and 34 (12.3%) Cg isolates. CE-FLA and CE-SSCP are promising tools for high-throughput screening of Cryptococcus isolates. The high prevalence of Cg was noteworthy, in view of its sporadic reports from AIDS patients in North America and its recent emergence as a primary pathogen on Vancouver Island, Canada.
Chaturvedi
Sudha
S
Mycology Laboratory, Wadsworth Center, 120 New Scotland Avenue, Albany, NY 12208-2002, USA.
Dyavaiah
Madhu
M
Larsen
Robert A
RA
Chaturvedi
Vishnu
V
D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D002140:California; D003453:Cryptococcosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D003454:Cryptococcus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003470:Culture Media; D017931:DNA Primers; D019075:Electrophoresis, Capillary; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D016533:Mycological Typing Techniques; D010675:Pheromones / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D018807:Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; D012703:Serotyping
D003470:Culture Media; D017931:DNA Primers; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D010675:Pheromones; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic