Capsules from Pathogenic and Non-Pathogenic Cryptococcus spp. Manifest Significant Differences in Structure and Ability to Protect against Phagocytic Cells

Abstract

Capsule production is common among bacterial species, but relatively rare in eukaryotic microorganisms. Members of the fungal Cryptococcus genus are known to produce capsules, which are major determinants of virulence in the highly pathogenic species Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii. Although the lack of virulence of many species of the Cryptococcus genus can be explained solely by the lack of mammalian thermotolerance, it is uncertain whether the capsules from these organisms are comparable to those of the pathogenic cryptococci. In this study, we compared the characteristic of

Abstract by Glauber Ribeiro de Sousa Araújo; Fernanda L. Fonseca; Bruno Pontes; André Torres; Radamés J. B. Cordero; Rosely Maria Zancopé‐Oliveira; Arturo Casadevall; Nathan B. Viana, PLoS ONE (2012) — licensed CC BY 4.0.

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