Studies on Cryptococcus Neoformans Speciescomplex with Special Reference to Ecology InVitro Drug Sensitivity and Enzymatic Activity

Abstract

Medical mycology is the study of epidemiology, ecology, pathogenesis, diagnosis and therapeutic modalities of fungal infections in human beings. It deals with microbes which are causative agents of wide array of animals and human s diseases among those Cryptococcus neoformans is one of the most important opportunistic pathogens. Cryptococcosis, which may be acute, subacute or chronic in nature, a significant source of mortality in both immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients (Cuomo et al., 2018). newlineCryptococcosis is caused by both the varieties of C.neoformans species complex, i.e., Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii that affects lungs and central nervous system predominantly and is the commonest fungal meningitis (Meyer et al., 2009). However other Cryptococcus species are rarely been reported to cause disease till date. The first indigenous clinical case of cryptococcosis was reported in a patient residing in Calcutta, further confirmatory diagnosis was made in the USA (Reeves; 1941). The very first diagnosis of cryptococcosis in India was made by Krainer (1946) in Poona. The clinical aspects of cryptococcosis due to C. gattii is somewhat restricted as compared to that due to C.neoformans. newlinePathogenic Cryptococcus species collectively cause over 200,000 infections annually, placing them among the leading groups of human-pathogenic fungal species (Rajasingham et al., 2017). Globally approximately 1 million cases and 625,000 deaths are reported each year by a life-threatening disease cryptococcosis (Park et al., 2009). In the United States incidence of cryptococcosis is estimated to be about 0.4-1.3 cases per 100,000 population in people affected with AIDS (Mirza et al., 2003). Over the past 2 decades, the case of deadly disease has increased worldwide dramatically in the number of immunecompromised individuals with HIV infection and cancer patients receiving chemotherapy (Bovers et al., 2008), organ transplant recipient (Saha, et al., 2007;Warkentienand Crum-Cianflone, 2010), steroid administratio