DIVERSITY OF DNA FINGERPRINTS IN CRYPTOCOCCUS-NEOFORMANS

DNA fingerprint patterns of 156 Cryptococcus neoformans isolates (26 A IDS patients, 46 non-AIDS patients, and 40 environmental sources) from both varieties (126 C. neoformans var, neoformans and 30 C, neoforman s var, gattii isolates) and from seven countries were analyzed by usin g the DNA probe UT-4p, Nine and twelve distinct DNA fingerprint patter ns were observed for isolates of the C, neoformans var, neoformans and var, gattii, respectively, No pattern was unique to AIDS patients, no n-AIDS patients, or the environment, Pattern II was observed more ofte n in non-AIDS patients (8 of 23) than in AIDS patients (0 of 25), Patt ern V was the most prevalent pattern (42 of 82) in clinical and enviro nmental isolates, Isolates from three AIDS patients in Burundi and Zai re exhibited patterns identical to each other but different from those of isolates collected from their houses (i,e,, dust of floors, walls, etc.) or a nearby pigeon coop, DNA fingerprint stability was determin ed for 53 isolates from nine non-AIDS patients at different time inter vals during 5 to 128 weeks of antifungal therapy, For eight patients, the fingerprint pattern was stable while the ninth may have had a mixe d infection, Pattern II was observed in 4 of 9 patients, which is simi lar to 4 of 14 in other non-AIDS patients as reported here, In spite o f the extensive pattern heterogeneity among 15 C. neoformans var, gatt ii isolates in Australia, the patterns observed in seven California is olates were quite different from those in Australia, Among isolates of C. neoformans var, gattii, one fingerprint pattern (designated b) was observed in several countries of the Far East, The fingerprint patter ns of two of three environmental isolates from Eucalyptus camaldulensi s trees in Australia were identical to those of 2 of the 12 clinical i solates from that country.