Cryptococcus

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Cryptococcus

Cryptococcus (literally "Hidden Seed") is a genus

Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
of fungus

Fungus

A fungus is a Eukaryote organism that is a member of the Kingdom Fungi . The fungi are a monophyletic group, also called the Eumycota , that is phylogeny distinct from the morphologically similar slime molds and water molds ....
. It grows in culture as a yeast

Yeast

Yeasts are eukaryote microorganisms classified in the Kingdom fungus, with about 1,500 species currently described; they dominate fungal diversity in the oceans....
. The perfect (sexual) form or teleomorph is called Filobasidiella, but the imperfect (asexual) form or anamorph is called Cryptococcus. The name Cryptococcus is correct when used in a medical context because the infective form is the imperfect form.

Cryptococcus neoformans
Cryptococcus neoformans

Cryptococcus neoformans is an encapsulated yeast-like fungus that can live in both plants and animals.This species, also known by its teleomorph name, Filobasidiella neoformans, belongs to the broad class of organisms called "club fungi" or Basidiomycota, which is one the five major types of fungi....
is the most prominent medically important species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring....
.

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Encyclopedia

Cryptococcus (literally "Hidden Seed") is a genus

Genus

Fungus

Yeast

Species

Meningitis

Meningitis is a medical condition caused by inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, known collectively as the meninges....
and meningo-encephalitis in people with HIV

HIV

Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that can lead to AIDS , a condition in humans in which the immune system begins to fail, leading to life-threatening opportunistic infections....
/AIDS

AIDS

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the HIV ....
. There are about 37 recognized species of Cryptococcus, but the taxonomy

Taxonomy

Taxonomy is the practice and science of classification. The word comes from the Greek language ', taxis and ', nomos .Taxonomies, or taxonomic schemes, are composed of taxonomic units known as taxa , or kinds of things that are arranged frequently in a hierarchical structure....
of the group is currently being re-evaluated with up-to-date methods. The majority of species live in the soil and are not harmful to humans. Very common species include Cryptococcus laurentii and Cryptococcus albidus. Of all species, Cryptococcus neoformans
Cryptococcus neoformans

Cryptococcus neoformans is an encapsulated yeast-like fungus that can live in both plants and animals.This species, also known by its teleomorph name, Filobasidiella neoformans, belongs to the broad class of organisms called "club fungi" or Basidiomycota, which is one the five major types of fungi....
is the major human and animal pathogen. However, Cryptococcus laurentii and Cryptococcus albidus have been known to occasionally cause moderate-to-severe disease in human patients with compromised immunity (owing to HIV infection, cancer chemotherapy, metabolic immunosuppression, et cetera)

Cryptococcus gattii
Cryptococcus gattii

Cryptococcus gattii, also known as Cryptococcus neoformans var gattii, is a yeast found in tropical and subtropical climates. If a human or animal breathes in spores or cell s, it causes a lung infection called cryptococcosis which can be fatal if it spreads to the central nervous system and causes meningitis....
(or Cryptococcus neoformans var gattii) is endemic to tropical parts of the continent of Africa and Australia. It is capable of causing disease in non-immunocompromised people. It is has been isolated from eucalyptus

Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of Flowering plant trees in the Myrtus family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia....
trees in Australia. Since 1999, there has been an outbreak of cryptococcus gattii infections in eastern Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada, one of several North American regions named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Ocean coast of North America between 1791 and 1794....
, an area not generally thought to be endemic for this organism. Cases have since been described in the Pacific northwestern United States.

The cells of these species are covered in a thin layer of glycoprotein capsular material that has a gelatin-like consistency and that, among other functions, serves to help extract nutrients from the soil. But C. neoformans capsule is different in being richer in glucuronic acid and mannose, having O-acetyl groups , and functioning as the major virulence factor in cryptococcal infection and disease.