title: Molecular types of Cryptococcus gattii/Cryptococcus neoformans species complex from clinical and environmental sources in Nairobi, Kenya.
abstract: Cryptococcal meningitis infections cause high mortality rates among HIV-infected patients in Sub-Saharan Africa. The high incidences of cryptococcal infections may be attributed to common environmental sources which, if identified, could lead to institution of appropriate control strategies. To determine the genotypes of Cryptococcus gattii/C. neoformans- species complex from Nairobi, Kenya, 123 clinical and environmental isolates were characterised. Typing was done using orotidine monophosphate pyrophosphorylase (URA5) gene restriction fragment length polymorphism (URA5-RFLP). The majority of the isolates [105/123; 85.4%] were C. neoformans genotype (AFLPI/VNI) and 1.6% AFLP1A/VNB/VNII, whereas (13%) were C. gattii (AFLP4/VGI). This is the first report on the genotypes of C. gattii/C. neoformans species complex from clinical and environmental sources in Nairobi, Kenya and the isolation of C. gattii genotype AFLP4/VGI from the environment in Kenya.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: Mourine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kangogo
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bader
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: Hamadi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Boga
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: Wanjiru
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wanyoike
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Folba
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Program, Medical Microbiology, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors.forename: Navaporn
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Worasilchai
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weig
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Uwe
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Groß
authors.affiliation: Medical Mycology Unit, Center for Microbiology Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: Christine C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Bii
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003453:Cryptococcosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D056285:Cryptococcus gattii / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003455:Cryptococcus neoformans / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000235:genetics; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007630:Kenya / Q000453:epidemiology; D016533:Mycological Typing Techniques; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length
chemical_list: D004271:DNA, Fungal
keywords: Cryptococcus; Kenya; clinical; environment; molecular types