[Distribution of Cryptococcus neoformans serotypes associated with human infections in Argentina]

C. neoformans (Cn) causes severe meningitis in immunocompromised patients, particularly those with AIDS. Little is known about Cn serotypes associated with human infections in Argentina due to the lack of antisera availability. The aim of this study was to produce these antisera, to serotype the Argentinean clinical isolates of Cn received at our laboratory from 1984 to 2001 and to evaluate the agreement of these results with the variety differentiation obtained with Canavanine-Glycine-Bromothymol Blue agar (CGB) medium. We studied 123 isolates recovered from first episodes of cryptococcosis from HIV-infected patients (85), non HIV-infected patients (6) and from other non specified patients (32). Of the isolates, 89% (110/123) were serotype A, 4% (5/123) corresponded to serotype D, 3% (3/129) were serotype AD, 3 isolates were untypable and 2 corresponded to serotype B. All the serotyped isolates agreed with the variety determined by CGB medium. These results indicate that, in our country, most cryptococcal infections in patients with AIDS are associated with serotype A (77/85), which agrees with international studies. In patients with other immunosuppressions, this serotype may be also predominant, although a low number of isolates were tested (4/6). Recovery of Cn serotype B in these clinical isolates suggests that studying the variety and their serotypes might be important to detect a probable epidemiological alteration.