Cryptococcus neoformans

objectives. The title of the seminar was “Using RNA Interference to Understand the Virulence and Biology of the Yeast Cryptococcus neoformans”. At the beginning, she first compared and contrasted the budding yeasts of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Cryptococcus neoformans. According to Dr. Bose in the mini-review, A Yeast under Cover: the Capsule of Cryptococcus Neoformans, “C. neoformans is a fungus that is ubiquitous in the environment, where it is found in soil, in association with certain trees, and

Cryptococcosis is a chronic mycotic infection caused by Cryptococcus neoformans variation neoformans and Cryptococcus neoformans var. gattii, both considered opportunistic. Though the organism is usually harmless to humans, the yeast type fungus can severely affect those with severe immunosuppression, such as HIV and AIDS patients.      In 1894 Greifswal Medical Society was presented with a paper by a pathologist named Busse, stating that he managed to isolate yeast from

Specific Aims Cryptococcus neoformans (Cn) virulence depends on the active transport of vesicles that contain melanin and capsule precursors, proteinases, and other macromolecules. We previously found that the Cn intersectin protein Cin1 regulates intracellular trafficking critical for growth and virulence and that Cin1-S isoform confers a marked survival advantage in the CNS of a murine model of cryptococcosis. In addition, we found that the expression of extracellular RNAs (exRNAs) including small

Introduction/Background Cryptococcus neoformans is a basidiomycetous yeast fungus that is enclosed with a polysaccharide capsule. C. neoformans can undergo sexual reproduction that is due to crossing α- and a-mating types, resulting in the formation of sexual spores or basidiospores (Buchanan and Murphy, 1998). It is an intracellular pathogen that affects more than one million individuals, resulting in over 700,000 deaths per year (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). Individuals

structure in detail. What does it look like? Where in the human host does it live? o Cryptococcus neoformans infects the lungs or central nervous system which is also known as the brain and spinal cord in humans. o The organism is coccus shaped, and appears cream colored when in a petri dish. The organism also is enclosed within a polysaccharide capsule, there is a cell

Cryptococcus neoformans is a type of fungus best known for causing meningo-encephalitis and meningitis in immunocompromised patients, particularly those with HIV/AIDS, and organ-transplant recipients. Although Cryptococcus isn’t contagious, meningitis (which is the inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord, caused by Cryptococcus) can be transmitted from one person to another by sneezing and coughing through close contact. Without treatment, meningitis will lead to a variety of severe

Wild-type strains including C. neoformans var. grubii H99 (serotype A) and var. neoformans JEC21 (serotype D), and C. gattii WM268 (serotype B, VGIIa) were used in this study {Perfect, 1991; Wickes, 2001; Myers}. All strains were cultured on yeast extract peptone dextrose medium (YPD) for 3 days at 30˚C. Amplification of the gib2::NAT and gib2::NEO mutant alleles. The nourseothricin and G418 resistance gene cassettes were previously inserted, respectively, inside the coding region of the GIB2 gene

Cryptococcus neoformans is a fungus that lives in the environment around the world. This fungus can be found in bird droppings, on rotted wood, or hollowed trees. C. neoformans is mostly contracted by children, since they play outside around areas where the cohabitate. In order to be infected with the fungus, one just needs to breath in or around it. However, this fungus is not harmful to those who are healthy. It is especially harmful to anyone with a weak immune system, such as those with

A 55-year-old man is brought into the clinic complaining of a terrible headache for the last 24 hours. He also reports feeling feverish for the last 2 days, and says he has recently been having trouble with his memory. His wife says she is very worried because he has “not been acting himself” lately. She states that he provides most of the income for the family, and is concerned about what would happen to them if he were no longer able to work. Fundoscopic exam shows papilledema. The appropriate

H. capsulatum is a dimorphic fungal pathogen that thrives in its mycelial phase in soil containing high concentrations of bird or bat guano, and every year hundreds of thousands of individuals who live in areas of endemicity are infected1,2. Though found worldwide, histoplasmosis is primarily a disease of North and Central America that is generally asymptomatic in healthy persons but may be fatal in immunosuppressed individuals2. Infection occurs by inhalation of small mycelial fragments or microconidia