title: Cryptococcus bromeliarum sp. nov., an orange-coloured basidiomycetous yeast isolated from bromeliads in Brazil.
abstract: During a survey of yeasts associated with the phylloplane of several bromeliad species in Itapuã Park in southern Brazil, we isolated four orange-coloured strains which were found to represent a novel anamorphic tremellaceous (Tremellales, Agaricomycotina, Basidiomycota) yeast species, Cryptococcus bromeliarum sp. nov. (type strain BI20(T) =CBS 10424(T) =NRRL Y-48112(T)). PCR-fingerprinting profiles of the four strains with primers M13 and (GTG)(5) were almost identical, which suggested conspecificity among the isolates. On the basis of D1/D2 26S rDNA sequence analysis, C. bromeliarum is phylogenetically closely related to other orange-coloured Cryptococcus species, namely Cryptococcus armeniacus, C. amylolyticus, C. tibetensis and C. cistialbidi, but differed from these species by at least six nucleotide substitutions and was thus considered a separate species. Physiological differences from C. armeniacus, C. amylolyticus and C. cistialbidi included the inability of C. bromeliarum to assimilate citrate and to form starch-like compounds. Differentiation from C. tibetensis can be achieved by the ability of the latter to assimilate ethylamine.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiologia, ICBS, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre (RS), Brazil.
authors.forename: Melissa Fontes
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Landell
authors.forename: João
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Inácio
authors.forename: Alvaro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fonseca
authors.forename: Marilene H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Vainstein
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Valente