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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, February 1998, p. 458-461, Vol. 36, No. 2
Clinical and Experimental Mycology Research
Group,
Received 7 July 1997/Returned for modification 28 July
1997/Accepted 23 October 1997
Cryptococcus neoformans var. gattii is
associated with Eucalyptus trees growing in various
tropical and subtropical regions of the world. The identification of 13 autochthonous strains of C. neoformans var.
gattii in Spain is reported. These strains were isolated
from lung (10 samples), liver (1 sample), and brain (2 samples) tissue
specimens from six goats suffering from predominantly severe pulmonary
disease that were autopsied. The animals were members of five different
herds of goats grazing in rural areas of the province of Cáceres
(Extremadura, Spain). Between 1990 and 1994, there were five outbreaks,
in which between 2.5 and 12% of the goats were affected. Although
respiratory symptoms (pneumonia) associated with cachexia were the
predominant clinical picture in all outbreaks, brain and liver
involvement was also documented in three of the five outbreaks.
Biotyping was performed by culturing the isolates on
L-canavanine-glycine-bromothymol blue medium and testing
them for the assimilation of D-proline and
D-tryptophan. Serotyping by agglutination tests confirmed the characterization of all strains as C. neoformans var.
gattii serotype B. This is the first confirmation of the
presence of this variety in Spain, with a peculiar ability to produce
severe pulmonary and systemic disease in normal goats, particularly in the form of outbreaks of pneumonia in association with cachexia.
0095-1137/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
First Identification of Autochthonous
Cryptococcus neoformans var. gattii Isolated from
Goats with Predominantly Severe Pulmonary Disease in Spain
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Clinical and
Experimental Mycology Research Group, Institut Municipal
d'Investigació Mèdica (IMIM), Doctor Aiguader 80, E-08003
Barcelona, Spain. Phone: 34-3-2211009. Fax: 34-3-2213237. E-mail:
jmtorres{at}imim.es.
Journal of Clinical Microbiology, February 1998, p. 458-461, Vol. 36, No. 2
0095-1137/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
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