GENETIC ANALYSIS OF MATING TYPES IN CRYPTOCOCCUS NEOFORMANS

ABSTRACT

A laboratory experiment was conducted on the genetic analysis of mating types in Cryptococcus neoformans. This experiment was carried out for a period of 3 months. Several growth media were used during the course of the experiment. They include: Sabouraud Dextrose Agar(SDA),Sabouraud Dextrose Broth(SDB),Urea Base Agar(UBA) and Niger Seed Agar(NSA). Results were taken for environmental isolates using SDA,UBA and NSA, clinical isolates using SDA,UBA and NSA and antifungal Susceptibility Testing. The research did not only show the challenges in managing fluconazole resistant cases of Cryptococcal, it also showed the factors most likely to facilitate the rise of fluconazole resistance. The results from the antifungal susceptibility test showed that the Minimum inhibitory concentration is 16μg/ml Cryptococcus neoformans isolated from blood sample is expected to behave differently from that of the environmental isolate. From the results obtained, it is safe to conclude that environmental samples are more susceptible to fluconazole than the clinical isolate since the clinical isolates are expected to be more virulence in nature due to their active involvement in cryptococcosis. The experiment showed that mating types can also be determined using Antifungal susceptibility test with Antifungal drug treatment like Fluconazole apart from the PCR methodology and this helps for the easy selection of strains for further use.