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Comparative analyses of clinical and environmental populations of Cryptococcus neoformans in Botswana.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Chen, Y; Litvintseva, AP; Frazzitta, AE; Haverkamp, MR; Wang, L; Fang, C; Muthoga, C; Mitchell, TG; Perfect, JR
Published in: Mol Ecol
July 2015

Cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii (Cng) is the most common cause of fungal meningitis, and its prevalence is highest in sub-Saharan Africa. Patients become infected by inhaling airborne spores or desiccated yeast cells from the environment, where the fungus thrives in avian droppings, trees and soil. To investigate the prevalence and population structure of Cng in southern Africa, we analysed isolates from 77 environmental samples and 64 patients. We detected significant genetic diversity among isolates and strong evidence of geographic structure at the local level. High proportions of isolates with the rare MATa allele were observed in both clinical and environmental isolates; however, the mating-type alleles were unevenly distributed among different subpopulations. Nearly equal proportions of the MATa and MATα mating types were observed among all clinical isolates and in one environmental subpopulation from the eastern part of Botswana. As previously reported, there was evidence of both clonality and recombination in different geographic areas. These results provide a foundation for subsequent genomewide association studies to identify genes and genotypes linked to pathogenicity in humans.

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Published In

Mol Ecol

DOI

EISSN

1365-294X

Publication Date

July 2015

Volume

24

Issue

14

Start / End Page

3559 / 3571

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Trees
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Multilocus Sequence Typing
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Humans
  • Geography
  • Genetics, Population
  • Genetic Variation
  • Genes, Mating Type, Fungal
  • Evolutionary Biology
 

Citation

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Chen, Y., Litvintseva, A. P., Frazzitta, A. E., Haverkamp, M. R., Wang, L., Fang, C., … Perfect, J. R. (2015). Comparative analyses of clinical and environmental populations of Cryptococcus neoformans in Botswana. Mol Ecol, 24(14), 3559–3571. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.13260
Chen, Yuan, Anastasia P. Litvintseva, Aubrey E. Frazzitta, Miriam R. Haverkamp, Liuyang Wang, Charles Fang, Charles Muthoga, Thomas G. Mitchell, and John R. Perfect. “Comparative analyses of clinical and environmental populations of Cryptococcus neoformans in Botswana.Mol Ecol 24, no. 14 (July 2015): 3559–71. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.13260.
Chen Y, Litvintseva AP, Frazzitta AE, Haverkamp MR, Wang L, Fang C, et al. Comparative analyses of clinical and environmental populations of Cryptococcus neoformans in Botswana. Mol Ecol. 2015 Jul;24(14):3559–71.
Chen, Yuan, et al. “Comparative analyses of clinical and environmental populations of Cryptococcus neoformans in Botswana.Mol Ecol, vol. 24, no. 14, July 2015, pp. 3559–71. Pubmed, doi:10.1111/mec.13260.
Chen Y, Litvintseva AP, Frazzitta AE, Haverkamp MR, Wang L, Fang C, Muthoga C, Mitchell TG, Perfect JR. Comparative analyses of clinical and environmental populations of Cryptococcus neoformans in Botswana. Mol Ecol. 2015 Jul;24(14):3559–3571.
Journal cover image

Published In

Mol Ecol

DOI

EISSN

1365-294X

Publication Date

July 2015

Volume

24

Issue

14

Start / End Page

3559 / 3571

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Trees
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Multilocus Sequence Typing
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Humans
  • Geography
  • Genetics, Population
  • Genetic Variation
  • Genes, Mating Type, Fungal
  • Evolutionary Biology