Extracellular enzymatic activities in Cryptococcus neoformans strains isolated from AIDS patients in different countries.
Three hundred and ten Cryptococcus neoformans strains isolated from AIDS patients in five different countries (151 from Brazil, 23 from Italy, 28 from Spain, 104 from Thailand and four from Turkey) were tested by the API-ZYM kit to detect their extracellular enzymatic activity. The enzymes esterase (C4) (no 3), esterase lipase (C8) (no 4), leucine arylamidase (no 6) and acid phosphatase (no 11) were commonly positive in most of the strains (more than 95%). These enzymes could be considered a useful tool not only for C. neoformans identification, but in particular for their possible relationship to new C. neoformans virulence factors and also for epidemiological research. Interestingly, it is also the high positive percentage of alpha-glucosidase and beta-glucosidase detected in all isolates. The serotype A was the most predominant serotype in all countries, except for Italy where the serotype D was predominant. Further studies are needed to draw a clear correlation between the API-ZYM profile and serotype.
Vidotto
Valerio
V
Dipartimento Discipline Medico-Chirurgiche, Sezione Malattie Infettive, Università di Torino, C.so Svizzera 164, 10.140 Torino, Italy. valerio.vidotto@libero.it
Ito-Kuwa
Soho
S
Nakamura
Kenjrou
K
Aoki
Shigeji
S
Melhem
Marcia
M
Fukushima
Kazutaka
K
Bollo
Enrico
E
D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D004796:Clinical Enzyme Tests; D003453:Cryptococcosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D003455:Cryptococcus neoformans / Q000145:classification / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D045604:Extracellular Fluid / Q000201:enzymology; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D012703:Serotyping; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology; D014774:Virulence
D005656:Fungal Proteins