Services on Demand
Journal
Article
Indicators
- Cited by SciELO
- Access statistics
Related links
- Cited by Google
- Similars in SciELO
- Similars in Google
Share
Biomédica
Print version ISSN 0120-4157
Abstract
SANCHEZ, Sunny et al. Molecular characterization of Cryptococcus neoformans isolates from HIV patients, Guayaquil, Ecuador. Biomédica [online]. 2017, vol.37, n.3, pp.425-430. ISSN 0120-4157. https://doi.org/10.7705/biomedica.v34i2.3322.
Introduction:
Neurocryptococcosis is an opportunistic fungal infection that represents a high cost in human lives and for the economy of countries. Its causative agent, the Cryptococcus neoformans/Cryptococcus gattiispecies complex, has a sexual and an asexual phase, four major serotypes and seven molecular varieties with phenotypic, clinical-epidemiological and antifungal susceptibility differences.
Objective:
To characterize by molecular methods clinicalisolates of C. neoformans from Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Materials and methods:
We determined mating types, serotypes and molecular varieties by PCR and RFLP in 27 yeast isolates previously identified as C. neoformans by conventional methods. The isolates were recovered from cerebrospinal fluid of HIV seropositive patients with neurological syndrome admitted at "Dr. José Daniel Rodríguez Maridueña" Hospital from December, 2013, to January, 2015.
Results:
We established a wide prevalence of C. neoformans serotype A, MATαand genotype VNI among the studied isolates.
Conclusions:
These data are similar to those obtained in other countries and the first identified by molecular characterization in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Therefore, they constitute an important contribution to the knowledge on cryptococcosis in this country.
Keywords : Cryptococcus neoformans; cryptococcosis; HIV; acquired immunodeficiency syndrome; genotype; Ecuador.