The Emergence of New Sporothrix brasiliensis Genotypes in Current Epidemic of Sporotrichosis in Southeastern Brazil

• Published in: Mycoses Vol. 67; no. 9; pp. e13792 - n/a
• Main Authors: Colombo, Salene Angelini, Carvalho, Jamile Ambrósio, Bicalho, Gustavo Canesso, Magalhães Soares, Danielle Ferreira, Oliveira, Camila Stefanie Fonseca, Tavares, Guilherme Campos, Rodrigues, Anderson Messias, Azevedo, Maria Isabel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01-09-2024
• Subjects: AFLP; Amplified fragment length polymorphism; Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis; Animals; Brazil - epidemiology; Cat Diseases - epidemiology; Cat Diseases - microbiology; Cats; Dog Diseases - epidemiology; Dog Diseases - microbiology; Dogs; Epidemics; Epidemiology; Evolution; Gene polymorphism; Genetic analysis; Genetic diversity; Genetic variability; Genetic Variation; Genotype; Genotyping; Heterothallism; Humans; Mating; mating type; molecular epidemiology; Mycosis; Phylogeny; Population genetics; Population structure; Population studies; Sporothrix; Sporothrix - classification; Sporothrix - genetics; Sporothrix - isolation & purification; Sporothrix brasiliensis; Sporotrichosis; Sporotrichosis - epidemiology; Sporotrichosis - microbiology; Zoonoses; Zoonoses - epidemiology; Zoonoses - microbiology; Brazil; Rio Grande do Sul Brazil; Rio de Janeiro Brazil; molecular epidemiology; genetic diversity; sporotrichosis; mating type; AFLP
• ISSN: 0933-7407; 1439-0507; 1439-0507
• DOI: 10.1111/myc.13792

ABSTRACT
Background
Zoonotic sporotrichosis caused by Sporothrix brasiliensis has become the main subcutaneous mycosis in Brazil. Minas Gerais (MG) is located in southeast Brazil and since 2015 has experienced an epidemic of zoonotic sporotrichosis.
Objectives
This study aimed to reconstruct the epidemiological scenario of sporotrichosis from S. brasiliensis in recent epizooty in the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte (MRBH), MG.
Methods
A total of 95 Sporothrix spp. isolates (Sporothirx brasiliensis n = 74, S. schenckii n = 11 and S. globosa n = 10) were subjected to Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) genotyping and mating‐type analysis to determine genetic diversity and population structure. Of these, 46 S. brasiliensis isolates were recovered from animals (cats n = 41 and dogs n = 5) from MRBH.
Results
Our study describes the high interspecific differentiation power of AFLP‐based genotyping between the main phylogenetic Sporothrix groups. S. brasiliensis presents high genetic variability and pronounced population structure with geographically focused outbreaks in Brazil. The genetic groups include older genotypes from the prolonged epidemic in Southeast (Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo), South (Rio Grande do Sul), Northeast (Pernambuco) and new genotypes from the MRBH. Furthermore, we provide evidence of heterothallism mating strategy in pathogenic Sporothrix species. Genotypes originating in Rio de Janeiro and Pernambuco carry the predominant MAT1‐2 idiomorph as opposed to genotypes from Rio Grande do Sul, which have the MAT1‐1 idiomorph. We observed an overwhelming occurrence of MAT1‐1 among MRBH isolates.
Conclusion
Our study provides clear evidence of the predominance of a genetic group profile circulating in animals in Minas Gerais, independent of that disseminated from Rio de Janeiro. Our data can help us understand the genetic population processes that drive the evolution of this fungus in Minas Gerais and contribute to future mitigation actions for this ongoing epidemic.