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Eukaryotic Cell, October 2005, p. 1629-1638, Vol. 4, No. 10
1535-9778/05/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/EC.4.10.1629-1638.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Comparative Gene Genealogies Indicate that Two Clonal Lineages of Cryptococcus gattii in British Columbia Resemble Strains from Other Geographical Areas
Sarah E. Kidd,1,2*
Hong Guo,3
Karen H. Bartlett,1
Jianping Xu,3 and
James W. Kronstad2
School of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, University of British Columbia, 2206 East Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z3,1
The Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, 2185 East Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4,2
Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4K13
Received 10 May 2005/
Accepted 1 August 2005
Cryptococcus
gattii has recently emerged as a pathogen of humans and animals in
the temperate climate of Vancouver Island, British Columbia (B.C.). The
majority (
95%) of the isolates from the island belong to the
VGII molecular type, and the remainder belong to the VGI molecular
type. The goals of this study were to compare patterns of molecular
variation among C. gattii isolates from B.C. with those from
different areas of the world and to investigate the population
structure using a comparative gene genealogy approach. Our results
indicate that the C. gattii population in B.C. comprises at
least two divergent lineages, corresponding to previously identified
VGI and VGII molecular types. The genealogical analysis of strains
suggested a predominantly clonal population structure among B.C.
isolates, while there was evidence for sexual recombination between
different molecular types on a global scale. We found no geographic
pattern of strain relationships, and nucleotide sequence comparisons
revealed that genotypes among isolates from B.C. were also present
among isolates from other areas of the world, indicating extensive
strain dispersal. The nucleotide sequence diversity among isolates from
B.C. was similar to that among isolates from other areas of the
world.
* Corresponding
author. Mailing address: Michael Smith Laboratories, University of
British Columbia, 301-2185 East Mall, Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z4, Canada.
Phone: (604) 822-2217. Fax: (604) 822-2114. E-mail:
sakidd{at}interchange.ubc.ca.
Eukaryotic Cell, October 2005, p. 1629-1638, Vol. 4, No. 10
1535-9778/05/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/EC.4.10.1629-1638.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
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