Tinashe K Nyazika1, Ferry Hagen2, Jacques F Meis3, Valerie J Robertson4. 1. Department of Chemical Pathology, College of Health Sciences, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe; Department of Medical Microbiology, College of Health Sciences, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe. 2. Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Canisius-Wilhelmina Hospital, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Electronic address: f.hagen@gmail.com. 3. Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Canisius-Wilhelmina Hospital, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. 4. Department of Medical Microbiology, College of Health Sciences, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: HIV-associated cryptococcal meningitis is commonly caused by Cryptococcus neoformans, whilst infections with Cryptococcus gattii sensu lato are historically rare. Despite available studies, little is known about the occurrence of C. gattii sensu lato infections among HIV-infected individuals in Zimbabwe. METHODS: In a prospective cohort, we investigated the prevalence of C. gattii sensu lato meningitis among HIV-infected patients (n = 74) in Harare, Zimbabwe. RESULTS: Of the 66/74 isolates confirmed by molecular characterization, 16.7% (11/66) were found to be C. gattii sensu lato and 83.3% (55/66) C. neoformans sensu stricto. From one patient two phenotypically different C. gattii sensu lato colonies were cultured. The majority (n = 9/12; 75%) of the C. gattii sensu lato isolates were Cryptococcus tetragattii (AFLP7/VGIV), which has been an infrequently reported pathogen. In-hospital mortality associated with C. gattii sensu lato was 36.4%. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggests that C. tetragattii (AFLP7/VGIV) is a more common cause of disease than C. gattii sensu stricto (genotype AFLP4/VGI) among patients with HIV-associated cryptococcal meningitis in Harare, Zimbabwe and possibly underreported in sub-Saharan Africa.
OBJECTIVES:HIV-associated cryptococcal meningitis is commonly caused by Cryptococcus neoformans, whilst infections with Cryptococcus gattii sensu lato are historically rare. Despite available studies, little is known about the occurrence of C. gattiisensu lato infections among HIV-infected individuals in Zimbabwe. METHODS: In a prospective cohort, we investigated the prevalence of C. gattiisensu lato meningitis among HIV-infectedpatients (n = 74) in Harare, Zimbabwe. RESULTS: Of the 66/74 isolates confirmed by molecular characterization, 16.7% (11/66) were found to be C. gattii sensu lato and 83.3% (55/66) C. neoformans sensu stricto. From one patient two phenotypically different C. gattii sensu lato colonies were cultured. The majority (n = 9/12; 75%) of the C. gattii sensu lato isolates were Cryptococcus tetragattii (AFLP7/VGIV), which has been an infrequently reported pathogen. In-hospital mortality associated with C. gattii sensu lato was 36.4%. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggests that C. tetragattii (AFLP7/VGIV) is a more common cause of disease than C. gattii sensu stricto (genotype AFLP4/VGI) among patients with HIV-associated cryptococcal meningitis in Harare, Zimbabwe and possibly underreported in sub-Saharan Africa.
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: Serisha D Naicker; Carolina Firacative; Erika van Schalkwyk; Tsidiso G Maphanga; Juan Monroy-Nieto; Jolene R Bowers; David M Engelthaler; Wieland Meyer; Nelesh P Govender Journal: PLoS Negl Trop Dis Date: 2022-06-29
Authors: Patricia F Herkert; Jessica C Dos Santos; Ferry Hagen; Fatima Ribeiro-Dias; Flávio Queiroz-Telles; Mihai G Netea; Jacques F Meis; Leo A B Joosten Journal: Infect Immun Date: 2018-03-22 Impact factor: 3.441
Authors: Ferry Hagen; H Thorsten Lumbsch; Valentina Arsic Arsenijevic; Hamid Badali; Sebastien Bertout; R Blake Billmyre; M Rosa Bragulat; F Javier Cabañes; Mauricio Carbia; Arunaloke Chakrabarti; Sudha Chaturvedi; Vishnu Chaturvedi; Min Chen; Anuradha Chowdhary; Maria-Francisca Colom; Oliver A Cornely; Pedro W Crous; Maria S Cuétara; Mara R Diaz; Ana Espinel-Ingroff; Hamed Fakhim; Rama Falk; Wenjie Fang; Patricia F Herkert; Consuelo Ferrer Rodríguez; James A Fraser; Josepa Gené; Josep Guarro; Alexander Idnurm; María-Teresa Illnait-Zaragozi; Ziauddin Khan; Kantarawee Khayhan; Anna Kolecka; Cletus P Kurtzman; Katrien Lagrou; Wanqing Liao; Carlos Linares; Jacques F Meis; Kirsten Nielsen; Tinashe K Nyazika; Weihua Pan; Marina Pekmezovic; Itzhack Polacheck; Brunella Posteraro; Flavio de Queiroz Telles; Orazio Romeo; Manuel Sánchez; Ana Sampaio; Maurizio Sanguinetti; Pojana Sriburee; Takashi Sugita; Saad J Taj-Aldeen; Masako Takashima; John W Taylor; Bart Theelen; Rok Tomazin; Paul E Verweij; Retno Wahyuningsih; Ping Wang; Teun Boekhout Journal: mSphere Date: 2017-08-30 Impact factor: 4.389
Authors: Tinashe K Nyazika; Joseph Kamtchum Tatuene; Alain Kenfak-Foguena; Paul E Verweij; Jacques F Meis; Valerie J Robertson; Ferry Hagen Journal: BMJ Open Date: 2018-07-30 Impact factor: 2.692
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