We evaluated 14 samples of bird excreta from pigeons, parrots, open billed storks and crows obtained from thirteen places in Bangkok and nearby areas between April and July 2004. These bird excreta were examined for Cryptococcus neoformans by direct plating method to inspect their ability to grow at 37oC. Capsule production was examined by Indian ink preparation. They were also tested for ureas...

Cryptococcus neoformans (C. neoformans) is estimated to cause about 220,000 new cases every year in patients with AIDS, despite advances in antifungal treatments. C. neoformans possesses a remarkable ability to disseminate through an immunocompromised host, making treatment difficult. Here, we examine the mechanism of survival of C. neoformans under varying host conditions and find a role for c...

The Cryptococcus species complex contains two sibling taxa, Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii. Both species are basidiomycetous yeasts and major pathogens of humans and other mammals. Genotyping methods have identified major haploid molecular types of C. neoformans (VNI, VNII, VNB and VNIV) and of C. gattii (VGI, VGII, VGIII and VGIV). To investigate the phylogenetic relationships...

Four cases of pulmonary cryptococcosis were diagnosed by cytological detection of Cryptococcus neoformans in bronchial lavage. Three patients had underlying diseases, but not HIV infection. The chest X-rays showed 2 patients with nodular lesions and 2 with cavitary lesions. The cryptococcal antigen in the serum was positive in all four patients. In the cytology of bronchial lavage, Cryptococcus...

Background: The purpose of this case report is to present an unusual and unique case of vertebral osteomyelitis due to the organism Cryptococcus neoformans, which was found to be isolated to the fourth lumbar vertebra in an immunocompetent patient. Cryptotoccus neoformans is an encapsulated yeast which typically presents in severely immunocompromised patients. Vertebral osteomyelitis is most co...

Mating in basidiomycetous fungi is often controlled by two unlinked, multiallelic loci encoding homeodomain transcription factors or pheromones/pheromone receptors. In contrast to this tetrapolar organization, Cryptococcus neoformans/Cryptococcus gattii have a bipolar mating system, and a single biallelic locus governs sexual reproduction. The C. neoformans MAT locus is unusually large (>100 kb...

Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii are globally distributed human fungal pathogens and the leading causes of fungal meningitis. Recent studies reveal that myo-inositol is an important factor for fungal sexual reproduction. That C. neoformans can utilize myo-inositol as a sole carbon source and the existence of abundant inositol in the human central nervous system suggest that inosi...

Introduction: Cryptococcal meningitis is a rare disorder that is caused by Cryptococcus neoformans in immunocompromised host. CasePresentation: The case was a 64-year-old man with a history of stem cell transplant for acute leukemia, who presented chronic meningitis caused by Cryptococcus neoformans and concurrent neoplastic meningitis with presence of malignant cells only in his cerebrospinal ...

Infections by intracellular pathogens cause significant morbidity and mortality due to lack of efficient drug delivery. Amphotericin B, currently used treat leishmaniasis cryptococcosis, is very toxic cannot eradicate Cryptococcus neoformans (C. neoformans). Glycosylated gold nanoparticles are water dispersible biocompatible with little toxicity. While amphotericin B insoluble in at neutral pH,...

The development of a biolistic transformation protocol for Cryptococcus neoformans over 25 years ago ushered in a new era of molecular characterization of virulence in this previously intractable fungal pathogen. However, due to the low rate of homologous recombination in this species, the process of creating targeted gene deletions using biolistic transformation remains inefficient. To overcom...