title: Primary endemic Cryptococcosis gattii by molecular type VGII in the state of Pará, Brazil.
abstract: In order to study the infectious agents causing human disseminated cryptococcosis in the state of Pará, North Brazil, 56 isolates of Cryptococcusspp. (54 isolated from cerebral spinal fluid and two from blood cultures) from 43 cases diagnosed between 2003-2007 were analysed. The species were determined through morphological and physiological tests and genotypes were determined by URA5-RFLP and PCR-fingerprinting (wild-type phage M13). The following species and genotypes were identified: Cryptococcus neoformans VNI (28/56, 50%), Cryptococcus gattii VGII (25/56, 44.64%) and C. gattii VGI (3/56, 5.26%). The genotype VNI occurred in 12 out of 14 HIV-positive adults, whereas the genotype VGII occurred in 11 out of 21 HIV-negative adults (p < 0.02, OR = 6.6 IC95% 0.98-56.0). All patients less than 12 years old were HIV negative and six cases were caused by the VGII genotype, one by the VGI and one by VNI. Therefore, endemic primary mycosis in HIV-negative individuals, including an unexpectedly high number of children, caused by the VGII genotype deserves further study and suggests the need for surveillance on cryptococcal infection in the state of Pará, Eastern Amazon.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Farmácia, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, PA, Brasil.
authors.forename: Wallace Raimundo A dos
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: Wieland
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: Bodo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wanke
authors.forename: Solange P S Evangelista
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: Luciana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Trilles
authors.forename: Jose Luiz M do
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Nascimento
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Medeiros
authors.forename: Bernardina Pernarrieta
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Morales
authors.forename: Claudia de Carvalho Falci
authors.initials: Cde C
authors.lastname: Bezerra
authors.forename: Regina Célia Lima de
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Macêdo
authors.forename: Silvana O
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: Gláucia Gonçalves
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Barbosa
authors.forename: Mauricio A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Perez
authors.forename: Marília Martins
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Nishikawa
authors.forename: Márcia dos Santos
authors.initials: Mdos S
authors.lastname: Lazéra
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D003453:Cryptococcosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D003454:Cryptococcus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000032:analysis; D019353:Endemic Diseases; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016533:Mycological Typing Techniques / Q000379:methods; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length
chemical_list: D004271:DNA, Fungal