Mitochondrial DNA analysis of Sporothrix schenckii clinical isolates from China

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) types based on restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) patterns with HaeIII were investigated in clinical isolates of Sporothrix schenckii in China. In addition to 23 mtDNA types (Types 1-23) so far reported, a new mtDNA type (Type 24) was found in this study. Type 24 was divided into two subtypes, Subtype 24A and 24B based on RFLP with EcoRV. Sixty-seven isolates in China consisted of 58 isolates of Type 4, 5 of Type 6, 1 of Type 5, 1 of Type 20 and 2 of Type 24. Based on the phylogeny of the mtDNA types (Types 1-24) constructed by estimating sequence divergences of mtDNA, mtDNA types clustered into two groups: Group A (Types 1-3, Type 11, Types 14-19 and Types 22-23) and Group B (Types 4-10, Types 12-13, Types 20-21 and Type 24). These results suggest that most S. schenckii isolates in China belong to Group B.