Virulence profile of ten Paracoccidioides brasiliensis isolates: association with morphologic and genetic patterns Perfil de virulência de dez isolados de Paracoccidioides brasiliensis: associação com morfologia e padrão genético

• Published in: Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo
• Main Authors: Cilmery S. Kurokawa, Catalina R. Lopes, Maria F. Sugizaki, Eiko E. Kuramae, Marcello F. Franco, Maria T. S. Peraçoli
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Universidade de São Paulo (USP) 2005
• Subjects: Antibodies; Colony morphology; Paracoccidioides brasiliensis; RAPD; Virulence; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Infectious and parasitic diseases; RC109-216; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1590/S0036-46652005000500004; https://doaj.org/article/73a3a01113174646a1041eb18ecc1047

Ten isolates of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis were examined for differences in virulence in outbred mice intravenously inoculated with the fungus, associated with mycelial morphology, and genetic patterns measured by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD). Virulence was evaluated by viable yeast cell recovery from lungs and demonstration of histopathologic lesions in different organs. The results showed that the isolates presented four virulence degrees: high virulence, intermediate, low and non-virulence. RAPD clustered the isolates studied in two main groups with 56% of genetic similarity. Strains with low virulence, Pb265 or the non-virulent, Pb192, showed glabrous/cerebriform morphology and high genetic similarity (98.7%) when compared to the other isolates studied. The same was observed with Bt79 and Bt83 that shared 96% genetic similarity, cottony colonies and high virulence. The RAPD technique could only discriminate P. brasiliensis isolates according to glabrous/cerebriform or cottony colonies, and also high from low virulence strains. Isolates with intermediate virulence such as Pb18, Pb18B6, Bt32 and Bt56 showed variability in their similarity coefficient suggesting that RAPD was able to detect genetic variability in this fungal specie. Virulence profile of P. brasiliensis demonstrated that both mycelial morphologic extreme phenotypes may be associated with fungal virulence and their in vitro subculture time. Thus, RAPD technique analysis employed in association with virulence, morphologic and immunologic aspects might prove adequate to detect differences between P. brasiliensis isolates. Dez isolados de P. brasiliensis foram avaliados em relação à patogenicidade por inoculação intravenosa em camundongos e associação com morfologia miceliana e padrão genético por amplificação genônica do DNA polimórfico (RAPD). A patogenicidade, avaliada por recuperação de fungos viáveis a partir de tecido pulmonar e por lesões histopatológicas em diferentes órgãos, mostrou que os isolados apresentaram quatro graus de ...