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Title: Importance of resolving fungal nomenclature: the case of multiple pathogenic species in the Cryptococcus genus

Author
item HAGEN, FERRY - Canisius-Wilhelmina Hospital
item LUMBSCH, TORSTEN - Field Museum Natural History
item ARSIC ARSENIJEVIC, VALENTINA - University Of Belgrade
item BILLMYRE, R. BLAKE - Duke University Medical Center
item BRAGULAT ARARA, MARIA ROSA - University Of Barcelona
item CARBIA, MAURICIO - Universidad De La República
item CHAKRABARTI, ARUNALOKE - Postgraduate Institute Of Medical Education And Research
item CHOWDHARY, ANURADHA - University Of Delhi
item CABAÑES SÁENZ, FRANCISCO - University Of Barcelona
item CORNELY, OLIVER - University Of Cologne
item Kurtzman, Cletus

Submitted to: mSphere
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/2/2017
Publication Date: 8/30/2017
Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/5852179
Citation: Hagen, F., Lumbsch, H.T., Arsic Arsenijevic, V., Badali, H., Bertout, S., Billmyre, R.B., Bragulat, M.R., Cabanes, F.J., Carbia, M., Chakrabarti, A., Kurtzman, C.P., et al. 2017. Importance of resolving fungal nomenclature: the case of multiple pathogenic species in the Cryptococcus genus. mSphere. 2(4):e00238-17.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Cryptococcosis is a major fungal disease caused by members of the Cryptococcus gattii and Cryptococcus neoformans species complexes. After more than 15 years of molecular genetic and phenotypic studies and much debate, a proposal for a taxonomic revision was made. The two varieties within C. neoformans were raised to species level, and the same was done for five genotypes within C. gattii. In a recent perspective (K. J. Kwon-Chung et al., mSphere 2:e00357-16, 2017, https://doi.org/10.1128/mSphere.00357-16), it was argued that this taxonomic proposal was premature and without consensus in the community. Although the authors of the perspective recognized the existence of genetic diversity, they preferred the use of the informal nomenclature “C. neoformans species complex” and “C. gattii species complex.” Here we highlight the advantage of recognizing these seven species, as ignoring these species will impede deciphering further biologically and clinically relevant differences between them, which may in turn delay future clinical advances.