This study is the first report on genetic differences between isolates of
Paracoccidioides brasiliensis
from a single
patient. We describe a simultaneous infection with genetically distinct isolates of
P. brasiliensis in a patient with
chronic paracoccidioidomycosis. The clinical isolates were obtained from lesions in different anatomical sites and
were characterised by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis. The RAPD technique can be helpful
for distinguishing between clinical isolates. Different random primers were used to characterise these clinical
isolates. The RAPD patterns allowed for differentiation between isolates and the construction of a phenetic tree,
which showed more than 28% genetic variability in this fungal species, opening new possibilities for clinical studies
of
P. brasiliensis. Based on these results and preliminary clinical findings, we suggest that different genotypes of
P. brasiliensis might infect the same patient, inducing the active form of the disease.
