Carlos Linares1, María Francisca Colom2, Marina Torreblanca1, Violeta Esteban1, Álvaro Romera1, Ferry Hagen3. 1. Laboratorio de Micología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Alicante, Spain. 2. Laboratorio de Micología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Alicante, Spain. Electronic address: colom@umh.es. 3. Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Canisius-Wilhelmina Hospital, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Cryptococcus gattii is a pathogenic basidiomycetous yeast that is emerging in temperate climate zones worldwide. C. gattii has repetitively been isolated from numerous tree species. Ongoing environmental sampling and molecular characterization is essential to understand the presence of this primary pathogenic microorganism in the Mediterranean environment. AIMS: To report the first isolation of the rare C. gattii genotype AFLP7/VGIV from the environment in Europe. METHODS: Samples were collected from woody debris of carob trees (Ceratonia siliqua) and olive trees (Olea europaea) in El Perelló, Tarragona, Spain. Cryptococcus species were further characterized by using URA5-RFLP, MALDI-TOF, AFLP and MLST. The antifungal susceptibility profile to amphotericin B, 5-fluorocytosine, fluconazole, itraconazole, posaconazole and voriconazole was determined using Sensititre Yeast One and E-test. RESULTS: Cultures from one carob tree revealed the presence of ten Cryptococcus-like colonies. One colony was identified as C. gattii, and subsequent molecular characterization showed that it was an α mating-type that belonged to the rare genotype AFLP7/VGIV. Antifungal susceptibility testing showed values within the range of sensitivity described for other isolates of the same genotype and within the epidemiological cutoff values for this species. CONCLUSIONS: The isolation of the rare C. gattii genotype AFLP7/VGIV in Spain is the first report in the European environment, implying the possible presence in other regions of the Mediterranean area, and underlines that clinicians must be aware for C. gattii infections in healthy individuals.
BACKGROUND:Cryptococcus gattii is a pathogenic basidiomycetous yeast that is emerging in temperate climate zones worldwide. C. gattii has repetitively been isolated from numerous tree species. Ongoing environmental sampling and molecular characterization is essential to understand the presence of this primary pathogenic microorganism in the Mediterranean environment. AIMS: To report the first isolation of the rare C. gattii genotype AFLP7/VGIV from the environment in Europe. METHODS: Samples were collected from woody debris of carob trees (Ceratonia siliqua) and olive trees (Olea europaea) in El Perelló, Tarragona, Spain. Cryptococcus species were further characterized by using URA5-RFLP, MALDI-TOF, AFLP and MLST. The antifungal susceptibility profile to amphotericin B, 5-fluorocytosine, fluconazole, itraconazole, posaconazole and voriconazole was determined using Sensititre Yeast One and E-test. RESULTS: Cultures from one carob tree revealed the presence of ten Cryptococcus-like colonies. One colony was identified as C. gattii, and subsequent molecular characterization showed that it was an α mating-type that belonged to the rare genotype AFLP7/VGIV. Antifungal susceptibility testing showed values within the range of sensitivity described for other isolates of the same genotype and within the epidemiological cutoff values for this species. CONCLUSIONS: The isolation of the rare C. gattii genotype AFLP7/VGIV in Spain is the first report in the European environment, implying the possible presence in other regions of the Mediterranean area, and underlines that clinicians must be aware for C. gattii infections in healthy individuals.
Authors: P F Herkert; F Hagen; G L de Oliveira Salvador; R R Gomes; M S Ferreira; V A Vicente; M D Muro; R L Pinheiro; J F Meis; F Queiroz-Telles Journal: Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis Date: 2016-08-01 Impact factor: 3.267
Authors: Massimo Cogliati; Roberta D'Amicis; Alberto Zani; Maria Teresa Montagna; Giuseppina Caggiano; Osvalda De Giglio; Stella Balbino; Antonella De Donno; Francesca Serio; Serdar Susever; Cagri Ergin; Aristea Velegraki; Mohamed S Ellabib; Simona Nardoni; Cristina Macci; Salvatore Oliveri; Laura Trovato; Ludovico Dipineto; Volker Rickerts; Ilka McCormick-Smith; Sevim Akcaglar; Okan Tore; Emilija Mlinaric-Missoni; Sebastien Bertout; Michele Mallié; Maria da Luz Martins; Ana C F Vencà; Maria L Vieira; Ana C Sampaio; Cheila Pereira; Giuseppe Criseo; Orazio Romeo; Stéphane Ranque; Mohammed H Y Al-Yasiri; Meltem Kaya; Nilgun Cerikcioglu; Anna Marchese; Luigi Vezzulli; Macit Ilkit; Marie Desnos-Ollivier; Vincenzo Pasquale; Maya Korem; Itzhack Polacheck; Antonio Scopa; Wieland Meyer; Kennio Ferreira-Paim; Ferry Hagen; Bart Theelen; Teun Boekhout; Shawn R Lockhart; Kathrin Tintelnot; Anna Maria Tortorano; Françoise Dromer; Ashok Varma; Kyung J Kwon-Chung; Joäo Inácio; Beatriz Alonso; Maria F Colom Journal: FEMS Yeast Res Date: 2016-05-05 Impact factor: 2.796
Authors: Patricia F Herkert; Ferry Hagen; Rosangela L Pinheiro; Marisol D Muro; Jacques F Meis; Flávio Queiroz-Telles Journal: J Fungi (Basel) Date: 2017-11-03
Authors: Magdalena Florek; Agnieszka Korzeniowska-Kowal; Anna Wzorek; Katarzyna Włodarczyk; Maja Marynowska; Aleksandra Pogorzelska; Maria Brodala; Sebastian Ploch; Daniel Buczek; Katarzyna Balon; Urszula Nawrot Journal: Pathogens Date: 2021-12-22