title: Population Genetic Analysis Reveals a High Genetic Diversity in the Brazilian Cryptococcus gattii VGII Population and Shifts the Global Origin from the Amazon Rainforest to the Semi-arid Desert in the Northeast of Brazil.
abstract: Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii are responsible globally for almost one million cryptococcosis cases yearly, mostly in immunocompromised patients, such as those living with HIV. Infections due to C. gattii have mainly been described in tropical and subtropical regions, but its adaptation to temperate regions was crucial in the species evolution and highlighted the importance of this pathogenic yeast in the context of disease. Cryptococcus gattii molecular type VGII has come to the forefront in connection with an on-going emergence in the Pacific North West of North America. Taking into account that previous work pointed towards South America as an origin of this species, the present work aimed to assess the genetic diversity within the Brazilian C. gattii VGII population in order to gain new insights into its origin and global dispersal from the South American continent using the ISHAM consensus MLST typing scheme. Our results corroborate the finding that the Brazilian C. gattii VGII population is highly diverse. The diversity is likely due to recombination generated from sexual reproduction, as evidenced by the presence of both mating types in clinical and environmental samples. The data presented herein strongly supports the emergence of highly virulent strains from ancestors in the Northern regions of Brazil, Amazonia and the Northeast. Numerous genotypes represent a link between Brazil and other parts of the world reinforcing South America as the most likely origin of the C. gattii VGII subtypes and their subsequent global spread, including their dispersal into North America, where they caused a major emergence.
authors.affiliation: Evandro Chagas National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana C P
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Souto
authors.affiliation: Institute Adolfo Lutz, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Lucas X
authors.initials: LX
authors.lastname: Bonfietti
authors.affiliation: Molecular Mycology Research Laboratory, Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, Marie Bashir Institute for Emerging Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Sydney Medical School-Westmead Hospital, The University of Sydney, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Sydney, Australia.|Infectious Disease Department, Triângulo Mineiro Federal University, Uberaba, Brazil.
authors.forename: Kennio
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ferreira-Paim
authors.affiliation: Evandro Chagas National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.|Molecular Mycology Research Laboratory, Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, Marie Bashir Institute for Emerging Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Sydney Medical School-Westmead Hospital, The University of Sydney, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Luciana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Trilles
authors.affiliation: Institute Adolfo Lutz, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marilena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.affiliation: Evandro Chagas National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcelo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ribeiro-Alves
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, United States of America.
authors.forename: Cau D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Pham
authors.affiliation: University of Piauí State, Teresina, Brazil.
authors.forename: Liline
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.affiliation: Evandro Chagas National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.|Molecular Mycology Research Laboratory, Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, Marie Bashir Institute for Emerging Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Sydney Medical School-Westmead Hospital, The University of Sydney, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Sydney, Australia.|Federal University of Pará, Belém, Brazil.
authors.forename: Wallace
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Dos Santos
authors.affiliation: Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marilene
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Evandro Chagas National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Brito-Santos
authors.affiliation: Institute Adolfo Lutz, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Dayane C S
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Biodiversity Research Center, Federal University of Roraima, Boa Vista, Brazil.
authors.forename: Silvana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fortes
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, United States of America.
authors.forename: Shawn R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Lockhart
authors.affiliation: Evandro Chagas National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Bodo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wanke
authors.affiliation: Institute Adolfo Lutz, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Márcia S C
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Melhem
authors.affiliation: Evandro Chagas National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Márcia S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Lazéra
authors.affiliation: Evandro Chagas National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.|Molecular Mycology Research Laboratory, Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, Marie Bashir Institute for Emerging Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Sydney Medical School-Westmead Hospital, The University of Sydney, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Wieland
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Meyer
mesh_terms: D005075:Biological Evolution; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003453:Cryptococcosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D056285:Cryptococcus gattii / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003455:Cryptococcus neoformans / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D058885:Multilocus Sequence Typing; D016533:Mycological Typing Techniques; D009656:North America / Q000453:epidemiology; D058974:Phylogeography; D065947:Rainforest; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D013020:South America / Q000453:epidemiology