Cryptococcus Vuillemin (1901)

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the genus Cryptococcus. In the determination of the asexual reproduction it is seen that cells are spheroidal, ovoid, ellipsoidal, or elongate. A polysaccharide capsule is present in most species. Reproduction is by multilateral or polar, enteroblastic budding; pseudohyphae or true hyphae may develop. In species with true hyphae, septa have dolipores with or without parenthesomes. In the sexual reproduction it is found that some species are anamorphic states of teleomorphic genera in the Cystofilobasidiales, Filobasidiales, and Tremellales. The chapter also discusses physiology/biochemistry and phylogenetic placement of the genus. The type species taken is Cryptococcus neoformans. In the systematic discussion of the species phylogenetic placement, growth on malt extract, soytone, yeast extract (MYP) agar, growth in YM broth, Dalmau plate culture on corn meal agar, gene sequence accession numbers, type strain, origin of the strains studied, and systematics are determined.