title: Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii, the etiologic agents of cryptococcosis.
abstract: Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii are the two etiologic agents of cryptococcosis. They belong to the phylum Basidiomycota and can be readily distinguished from other pathogenic yeasts such as Candida by the presence of a polysaccharide capsule, formation of melanin, and urease activity, which all function as virulence determinants. Infection proceeds via inhalation and subsequent dissemination to the central nervous system to cause meningoencephalitis. The most common risk for cryptococcosis caused by C. neoformans is AIDS, whereas infections caused by C. gattii are more often reported in immunocompetent patients with undefined risk than in the immunocompromised. There have been many chapters, reviews, and books written on C. neoformans. The topics we focus on in this article include species description, pathogenesis, life cycle, capsule, and stress response, which serve to highlight the specializations in virulence that have occurred in this unique encapsulated melanin-forming yeast that causes global deaths estimated at more than 600,000 annually.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Clinical Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892.
authors.forename: Kyung J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Kwon-Chung
authors.affiliation: Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia.
authors.forename: James A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Fraser
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110.
authors.forename: Tamara L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Doering
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110.
authors.forename: Zhou
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Unité Biologie et Pathogénicité Fongiques, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France.
authors.forename: Guilhem
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Janbon
authors.affiliation: Division of Cell Biology and Biophysics, School of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Kansas City, Missouri 64110.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Idnurm
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul 120-749, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Yong-Sun
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Bahn
mesh_terms: D003453:Cryptococcosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D056285:Cryptococcus gattii / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D003455:Cryptococcus neoformans / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D026141:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Fungal; D004798:Enzymes / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000502:physiology; D062607:Fungal Capsules / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D005838:Genotype; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008018:Life Cycle Stages / Q000502:physiology; D008543:Melanins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000502:physiology; D010641:Phenotype; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000502:physiology; D009626:Terminology as Topic; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D004798:Enzymes; D008543:Melanins; D037521:Virulence Factors