title: First isolation of Cryptococcus gattii molecular type VGII and Cryptococcus neoformans molecular type VNI from environmental sources in the city of Belém, Pará, Brazil.
abstract: Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii are important agents of meningoencephalitis in humans in the city of Belém. This clinical data suggests that the region may be a highly endemic area for the pathogenic Cryptococcus species within the state of Pará (PA), Northern Brazil. Preliminary analysis of 11 environmental samples from the city of Belém showed two positive locations, including a hollow of a kassod tree (Senna siamea) colonized simultaneously by C. gattii molecular type VGII and C. neoformans molecular type VNI, and a birdcage in a commercial aviary positive for C. neoformans, molecular type VNI. This is the first evidence of an environmental occurrence of molecular types VNI and VGII in PA.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Rua Augusto Corrêa 1, 66075-110 Belém, PA, Brasil. sol@ufpa.br
authors.forename: Solange do P S E
authors.initials: Sdo P
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: Márcia dos S
authors.initials: Mdos S
authors.lastname: Lazéra
authors.forename: Wallace R A
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: Bernardina P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Morales
authors.forename: Cláudia C F
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Bezerra
authors.forename: Marília M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Nishikawa
authors.forename: Gláucia G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Barbosa
authors.forename: Luciana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Trilles
authors.forename: José L M do
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Nascimento
authors.forename: Bodo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wanke
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001717:Birds; D001938:Brazil; D056285:Cryptococcus gattii / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003455:Cryptococcus neoformans / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006799:Housing, Animal; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D014197:Trees / Q000382:microbiology*