Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33017391›Full record

ArticlePLoS neglected tropical diseases2020

Population diversity and virulence characteristics of Cryptococcus neoformans/C. gattii species complexes isolated during the pre-HIV-pandemic era.

Sujiraphong Pharkjaksu, Kyung J Kwon-Chung, John E Bennett, Popchai Ngamskulrungroj

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed
1.2field-weighted citation impact, top 20% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed, 14 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pathogenic diversity ofCell surface (Amsterdam, Netherlands) · 2025
    Article
  2. Antifungal and Immunomodulatory Activities of Brazilian SavannahPharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025
    Article
  3. Peripheral blood CD4The Journal of infection · 2025
    Article
  4. Molecular epidemiology and distribution ofThe Journal of international medical research · 2024
    Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Central Nervous System Cryptococcosis due toCurrent tropical medicine reports · 2022
    Review
  8. Article
  9. Associations betweenJournal of fungi (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Sujiraphong PharkjaksuDepartment of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok Noi, Bangkok, Thailand.ORCID 0000-0002-6831-5303
Kyung J Kwon-ChungLaboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.ORCID 0000-0003-3383-1428
John E BennettLaboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
Popchai NgamskulrungrojDepartment of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok Noi, Bangkok, Thailand.ORCID 0000-0001-5162-5498
National Institutes of Health · USSiriraj Hospital · TH

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Cryptococcosis has become a major global health problem since the advent of the HIV pandemic in 1980s. Although its molecular epidemiology is well-defined, using isolates recovered since then, no pre-HIV-pandemic era epidemiological data exist. We conducted a molecular epidemiological study using 228 isolates of the C. neoformans/C. gattii species complexes isolated before 1975. Genotypes were determined by URA5 restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis and multi-locus sequence typing. Population genetics were defined by nucleotide diversity measurements, neutrality tests, and recombination analysis. Growth at 37°C, melanin synthesis, capsule production, and urease activity as virulence factors were quantified. The pre-HIV-pandemic isolates consisted of 186 (81.5%) clinical, 35 (15.4%) environmental, and 7 (3.1%) veterinary isolates. Of those, 204 (89.5%) belonged to C. neoformans VNI (64.0%), VNII (14.9%) and VNIV (10.5%) while 24 (10.5%) belonged to C. gattii VGIII (7.5%), VGI (2.6%) and VGII (0.5%). Among the 47 sequence types (STs) identified, one of VNII and 8 of VNIV were novel. ST5/VNI (23.0%) in C. neoformans and ST75/VGIII (25.0%) in C. gattii were the most common STs in both species complexes. Among C. neoformans, VNIV had the highest genetic diversity (Hd = 0.926) and the minimum recombination events (Rm = 10), and clinical isolates had less genetic diversity (Hd = 0.866) than environmental (Hd = 0.889) and veterinary isolates (Hd = 0.900). Among C. gattii, VGI had a higher nucleotide diversity (π = 0.01436) than in VGIII (π = 0.00328). The high-virulence genotypes (ST5/VNI and VGIIIa/serotype B) did not produce higher virulence factors levels than other genotypes. Overall, high genetic variability and recombination rates were found for the pre-HIV-pandemic era among strains of the C. neoformans/C. gattii species complexes. Whole genome analysis and in vivo virulence studies would clarify the evolution of the genetic diversity and/or virulence of isolates of the C. neoformans/C. gattii species complexes during the pre- and post-HIV-pandemic eras.

Indexed as

Genetics, PopulationAnimalsCanadaCryptococcus gattiiCryptococcus neoformansDenmarkEnvironmental MicrobiologyGenotypeHIV InfectionsHumansItalyMicrobial Sensitivity TestsMultilocus Sequence TypingMycological Typing TechniquesPolymorphism, Restriction Fragment LengthThailand

Identifiers

PMID33017391
PMCPMC7535028
OpenAlexW3090951247

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.