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Review
. 2023 Mar 16;9(3):364.
doi: 10.3390/jof9030364.

Importance of Clinical Isolates in Cryptococcus neoformans Research

Katrina M Jackson  1 , Minna Ding  1 , Kirsten Nielsen  1
Affiliations
Review

Importance of Clinical Isolates in Cryptococcus neoformans Research

Katrina M Jackson et al. J Fungi (Basel). .

Abstract

The human pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans is a global health concern. Previous research in the field has focused on studies using reference strains to identify virulence factors, generate mutant libraries, define genomic structures, and perform functional studies. In this review, we discuss the benefits and drawbacks of using reference strains to study C. neoformans, describe how the study of clinical isolates has expanded our understanding of pathogenesis, and highlight how studies using clinical isolates can further develop our understanding of the host-pathogen interaction during C. neoformans infection.

Keywords: Cryptococcus neoformans; clinical isolates; genotype; host–pathogen interaction.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
References strains, clinical isolates, and environmental isolates are beneficial for studying various aspects of Cryptococcus biology.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Experimental strategy to study host–pathogen interactions using C. neoformans clinical isolates.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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