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Cryptococcal pathogenic mechanisms: a dangerous trip from the environment to the brain
Cryptococcus neoformans is an opportunistic pathogenic yeast that causes serious infections, most commonly of the central nervous system (CNS). C. neoformans is mainly found in the environment and acquired by inhalation. It could be metaphorically imagined that cryptococcal disease is a “journey” fo...
Autores principales: | , , |
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Formato: | Online Artículo Texto |
Lenguaje: | English |
Publicado: |
Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Ministério da Saúde
2018
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Materias: | |
Acceso en línea: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5909089/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29668825 http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/0074-02760180057 |
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author | Esher, Shannon K Zaragoza, Oscar Alspaugh, James Andrew |
author_facet | Esher, Shannon K Zaragoza, Oscar Alspaugh, James Andrew |
author_sort | Esher, Shannon K |
collection | PubMed |
description | Cryptococcus neoformans is an opportunistic pathogenic yeast that causes serious infections, most commonly of the central nervous system (CNS). C. neoformans is mainly found in the environment and acquired by inhalation. It could be metaphorically imagined that cryptococcal disease is a “journey” for the microorganism that starts in the environment, where this yeast loads its suitcase with virulence traits. C. neoformans first encounters the infected mammalian host in the lungs, a site in which it must choose the right elements from its “virulence suitcase” to survive the pulmonary immune response. However, the lung is often only the first stop in this journey, and in some individuals the fungal trip continues to the brain. To enter the brain, C. neoformans must “open” the main barrier that protects this organ, the blood brain barrier (BBB). Once in the brain, C. neoformans expresses a distinct set of protective attributes that confers a strong neurotropism and the ability to cause brain colonisation. In summary, C. neoformans is a unique fungal pathogen as shown in its ability to survive in the face of multiple stress factors and to express virulence factors that contribute to the development of disease. |
format | Online Article Text |
id | pubmed-5909089 |
institution | National Center for Biotechnology Information |
language | English |
publishDate | 2018 |
publisher | Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Ministério da Saúde |
record_format | MEDLINE/PubMed |
spelling | pubmed-59090892018-04-24 Cryptococcal pathogenic mechanisms: a dangerous trip from the environment to the brain Esher, Shannon K Zaragoza, Oscar Alspaugh, James Andrew Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz Review Cryptococcus neoformans is an opportunistic pathogenic yeast that causes serious infections, most commonly of the central nervous system (CNS). C. neoformans is mainly found in the environment and acquired by inhalation. It could be metaphorically imagined that cryptococcal disease is a “journey” for the microorganism that starts in the environment, where this yeast loads its suitcase with virulence traits. C. neoformans first encounters the infected mammalian host in the lungs, a site in which it must choose the right elements from its “virulence suitcase” to survive the pulmonary immune response. However, the lung is often only the first stop in this journey, and in some individuals the fungal trip continues to the brain. To enter the brain, C. neoformans must “open” the main barrier that protects this organ, the blood brain barrier (BBB). Once in the brain, C. neoformans expresses a distinct set of protective attributes that confers a strong neurotropism and the ability to cause brain colonisation. In summary, C. neoformans is a unique fungal pathogen as shown in its ability to survive in the face of multiple stress factors and to express virulence factors that contribute to the development of disease. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Ministério da Saúde 2018-04-12 /pmc/articles/PMC5909089/ /pubmed/29668825 http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/0074-02760180057 Text en https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
spellingShingle | Review Esher, Shannon K Zaragoza, Oscar Alspaugh, James Andrew Cryptococcal pathogenic mechanisms: a dangerous trip from the environment to the brain |
title | Cryptococcal pathogenic mechanisms: a dangerous trip from the environment to the brain |
title_full | Cryptococcal pathogenic mechanisms: a dangerous trip from the environment to the brain |
title_fullStr | Cryptococcal pathogenic mechanisms: a dangerous trip from the environment to the brain |
title_full_unstemmed | Cryptococcal pathogenic mechanisms: a dangerous trip from the environment to the brain |
title_short | Cryptococcal pathogenic mechanisms: a dangerous trip from the environment to the brain |
title_sort | cryptococcal pathogenic mechanisms: a dangerous trip from the environment to the brain |
topic | Review |
url | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5909089/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29668825 http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/0074-02760180057 |
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