Journal of Fungi Review Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii Species Complexes in Latin America: A Map of Molecular Types, Genotypic Diversity, and Antifungal Susceptibility as Reported by the Latin American Cryptococcal Study Group Carolina Firacative 1,* , Wieland Meyer 2 and Elizabeth Castañeda 3 1 Studies in Translational Microbiology and Emerging Diseases (MICROS) Research Group, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad del Rosario, Bogota 111221, Colombia 2 Molecular Mycology Research Laboratory, Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, Research and Education Network Westmead Hospital, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney Medical School-Westmead Clinical School, Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Westmead Institute for Medical Research, The University of Sydney, Sydney 2145, Australia;
[email protected] 3 Grupo de Microbiología, Instituto Nacional de Salud, Bogota 111321, Colombia;
[email protected] * Correspondence: cfi
[email protected]; Tel.: +57-1-297-0200 (ext. 3404) Abstract: Cryptococcosis, a potentially fatal mycosis, is caused by members of the Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii species complexes. In Latin America, cryptococcal meningitis is still an impor- tant health threat with a significant clinical burden. Analysis of publicly available molecular data from 5686 clinical, environmental, and veterinary cryptococcal isolates from member countries of Citation: Firacative, C.; Meyer, W.; the Latin American Cryptococcal Study Group showed that, as worldwide, C. neoformans molecular Castañeda, E. Cryptococcus neoformans type VNI is the most common cause of cryptococcosis (76.01%) in HIV-infected people, followed by and Cryptococcus gattii Species C. gattii molecular type VGII (12.37%), affecting mostly otherwise healthy hosts. These two molecular Complexes in Latin America: A Map types also predominate in the environment (68.60% for VNI and 20.70% for VGII).