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Special Issue "Recent Advances in Cryptococcus and Cryptococcosis"

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Special Issue Editors

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Guest Editor

School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia
Interests: Cryptococcus neoformans; Cryptococcus gattii; cryptococcosis

Prof. Dr. Wieland Meyer

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Guest Editor

Westmead Institute for Medical Research, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Interests: molecular medical mycology; fungal population genetics; fungal phylogeny and taxonomy; fungal virulence; molecular epidemiology of human pathogenic fungi; fungal disease outbreak investigation; fungal strain typing; early fungal disease diagnostic

Dr. Luciana Trilles

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Guest Editor

Tecnologista em Saúde Pública, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro 21040-900, RJ, Brazil
Interests: medical microbiology; molecular; Cryptococcus; cryptococcosis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cryptococcosis is a potentially fatal fungal disease mainly caused by Cryptococcus neoformans, an environmental encapsulated yeast that predominantly affects immunocompromised patients, especially people living with HIV. As a primary mycosis, however, cryptococcosis is primarily caused by its sibling species, Cryptococcus gattii, as this yeast affects people with no apparent risk factors. Cryptococcal meningitis, which is the main presentation of cryptococcosis, remains a significant clinical and economic burden in adults from many countries where there is a high HIV seroprevalence. Despite significant improvements in antifungal and antiretroviral therapy, cryptococcosis is still associated with high morbidity and mortality. The goal of this Special Issue is to provide an update on the most current studies on the pathogenesis, virulence factors, antifungal susceptibility, and population genetics of C. neoformans and C. gattii, as well as on the epidemiology, clinical aspects, diagnosis, and treatment of cryptococcosis, both through reviews and original research articles.

Dr. Carolina Firacative
Prof. Dr. Wieland Meyer
Dr. Luciana Trilles
Guest Editors

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Editorial

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Open AccessEditorial

Recent Advances in Cryptococcus and Cryptococcosis

Carolina Firacative

Luciana Trilles

and

Wieland Meyer

Microorganisms 2022, 10(1), 13; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10010013 - 23 Dec 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2117

Abstract

The members of the Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii species complexes are the main etiological agents of cryptococcosis, a life-threatening fungal infection affecting mostly immunocompromised people, but also immunocompetent hosts or those with unrecognized risk factors [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Cryptococcus and Cryptococcosis)

Research

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Open AccessArticle

Phenotypic Diversity of Cryptococcus neoformans var. neoformans Clinical Isolates from Localized and Disseminated Infections

and

Microorganisms 2022, 10(2), 321; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10020321 - 29 Jan 2022

Viewed by 1541

Abstract

Cryptococcus neoformans var. neoformans is the second most prevalent agent of cryptococcosis in central Europe. Infections mostly present with localized skin and disseminated infections. Previous studies did not find these presentations to be determined by the fungal genotype as detected by multilocus sequence typing (MLST). However, phenotypic fungal traits may impact clinical presentation. Here, we studied the growth and virulence factors of C. neoformans var. neoformans isolates from disseminated and localized infections and an environmental isolate. We used coincubation with Acanthamoeba castellanii and the Galleria mellonella infection model to identify phenotypic characteristics potentially associated with clinical presentation. Clinical isolates of C. neoformans var. neoformans present a substantial phenotypic variability. Median survival of G. mellonella varied between 6 and 14 days. C. neoformans var. neoformans isolates from disseminated infections showed stronger melanization and larger capsules. They demonstrated superior uptake into an amoeba and increased cytotoxicity for the amoeba. Differences of strains from localized and disseminated infections in coincubation with amoeba are in line with the importance of phagocytes in the pathogenesis of disseminated cryptococcosis. Phenotypic traits and non-vertebrate infection models may help understand the virulence potential of C. neoformans var. neoformans isolates. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Cryptococcus and Cryptococcosis)

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Review

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Open AccessReview

Cryptococcal Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome: From Clinical Studies to Animal Experiments

and

Microorganisms 2022, 10(12), 2419; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10122419 - 07 Dec 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 907

Abstract

Cryptococcus neoformans is an encapsulated pathogenic fungus that initially infects the lung but can migrate to the central nervous system (CNS), resulting in meningoencephalitis. The organism causes the CNS infection primarily in immunocompromised individuals including HIV/AIDS patients, but also, rarely, in immunocompetent individuals. In HIV/AIDS patients, limited inflammation in the CNS, due to impaired cellular immunity, cannot efficiently clear a C. neoformans infection. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) can rapidly restore cellular immunity in HIV/AIDS patients. Paradoxically, ART induces an exaggerated inflammatory response, termed immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS), in some HIV/AIDS patients co-infected with C. neoformans. A similar excessive inflammation, referred to as post-infectious inflammatory response syndrome (PIIRS), is also frequently seen in previously healthy individuals suffering from cryptococcal meningoencephalitis. Cryptococcal IRIS and PIIRS are life-threatening complications that kill up to one-third of affected people. In this review, we summarize the inflammatory responses in the CNS during HIV-associated cryptococcal meningoencephalitis. We overview the current understanding of cryptococcal IRIS developed in HIV/AIDS patients and cryptococcal PIIRS occurring in HIV-uninfected individuals. We also describe currently available animal models that closely mimic aspects of cryptococcal IRIS observed in HIV/AIDS patients. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Cryptococcus and Cryptococcosis)

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