Abstract

  Globally, the most frequently isolated species of the Sporothrix schenckii complex from human clinical samples are S. schenckii, S. globosa and S. brasiliensis. Sporotrichosis is the most important subcutaneous fungal infection in Costa Rica, and, so far, the etiological agents have only been identified by microscopic observation as S. schenckii. The aim of the present study was to identify by phenotypic and genotypic characteristics the species of the Sporothrix schenckii complex in a collection of Costa Rican human clinical isolates.

Fifty-seven Costa Rican clinical isolates were analyzed and 18 sequences were deposited in the GenBank database. The isolates are part of a collection of the School of Microbiology of the University of Costa Rica. For the phenotypic characterization, temperature growth, microscopic features and carbohydrate assimilation were performed, and the susceptibility to itraconazole was studied in vitro by the CLSI M-38 microdilution method. Genotypic characterization was performed by enzymatic restriction and sequencing of the calmodulin gene. The presence of two species of S. schenckii complex, i.e. S. schenckii s. str. (53) and S. globosa (4) was demonstrated. A MIC value of less than 1 μg/mL was found in 84.2 % of the isolates. The most accurate techniques for identification of the isolates were enzymatic restriction and sequencing of the calmodulin gen. The carbohydrate assimilation test was the least useful one. All isolates studied were sensitive to itraconazole.

Keywords: Sporothrix schenckii; Sporothrix globosa; Sporothrix sp.; Sporotrichosis; Susceptibility Testing

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Citation

Citation: Stefany Lozada-Alvarado., et al. “Molecular and Biochemical Identification and In Vitro Susceptibility to Itraconazole of Costa Rican Clinical Isolates of the Sporothrix schenckiiComplex". Acta Scientific Microbiology 3.12 (2020): 116-123.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2020 Stefany Lozada-Alvarado., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.