Molecular Epidemiology and Antifungal Susceptibility of Cryptococcus neoformans: A First Report of Clinical Isolates from Shanxi Province, China

Purpose: clinical isolates from Shanxi Province, China, and to establish crucial baseline data for this region. Patients and Methods: (n=8) collected between 2014 and 2024 from a major regional hospital in Shanxi Province, China. All the isolates were subjected to molecular typing (serotype, mating type, genotype, and sequence type) and antifungal susceptibility testing. Results: , with 100% consistency in key genetic features: serotype A, MATα mating type, VNI genotype, and ST5 sequence type. Antifungal susceptibility testing revealed low minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for five common antifungals (fluconazole, amphotericin B, 5-fluorocytosine, itraconazole, voriconazole), with all 8 isolates (100%) falling within the wild-type epidemiological cut-off values (ECVs), notably, four of the eight strains (50%) showed higher MIC values (2 μg/mL) for fluconazole compared with the remaining isolates. Conclusion: , thereby supporting effective clinical management of related infections.