Cryptococcus gattiiInfection: Characteristics and Epidemiology of Cases Identified in a South African Province with High HIV Seroprevalence, 2002–2004

Abstract

We describe 46 Cryptococcus gattii-infected persons identified by population-based surveillance conducted in South Africa. Most patients with C. gattii infection presented with meningitis. The mortality rate during hospitalization was 36%. We found no significant differences between persons with and persons without C. gattii infection with regard to clinical presentation, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome diagnosis, concomitant conditions, or prior opportunistic infections. C. gattii isolates had low MICs to the tested antifungal drugs.

In vitro antifungal susceptibility profiles and genotypes of 308 clinical and environmental isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii and Cryptococcus gattii serotype B from north-western India

“…grubii, which agrees with several previous reports (Fernandes et al, 2003;Trilles et al, 2004;Khan et al, 2007Khan et al, , 2009Gomez-Lopez et al, 2008). However, there is divergence of results concerning the antifungal susceptibility patterns of the two species in some other studies, which reported no such difference (Chen et al, 2000;Calvo et al, 2001;Morgan et al, 2006;Tay et al, 2006;Thompson et al, 2009). This divergence in results may be due to a possible lack of uniformity in the methodologies of testing adopted by different investigators.…”

Molecular typing and in vitro antifungal susceptibility of Cryptococcus spp from patients in Midwest Brazil

“…However, it was described in a recent outbreak on Vancouver Island, Canada, a temperate region, suggesting that the species C. gattii has adapted to different environmental conditions [9]. It has also been isolated from clinical specimens in several other areas of the world, including Mexico, parts of Latin America, Europe, Southern California, Hawaii, India and Africa [10][11][12][13][14][15].…”

Most Cases of Cryptococcal Meningitis in HIV-Uninfected Patients in Vietnam Are Due to a Distinct Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism-Defined Cluster of Cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii VN1

“…An outbreak of disease due to C. gattii has been ongoing in British Columbia, Canada, since 1999, and there is evidence of autochthonous spread, suggesting that it is exploiting new environments and climatic zones (24,51). Despite the high rates of HIV infection in the tropics, disease due to C. gattii is uncommon; in South Africa and Rwanda it is responsible for only 1 to 2% of cryptococcosis in HIV-infected patients, although the rate is higher (between 14 and 30%) in Botswana and Malawi (3,34,40,50). Thus, due to the high prevalence of HIV infection, most cases of cryptococcal meningitis occur in the tropics and are caused by C. neoformans var.…”

“…Thus, due to the high prevalence of HIV infection, most cases of cryptococcal meningitis occur in the tropics and are caused by C. neoformans var. grubii (8,22,34,37,40,42).…”