The Outbreak of Cryptococcus gattii in Western North America: Epidemiology and Clinical Issues

Over the previous decade, we observed the emergence of the fungal pathogen, Cryptococcus gattii, as a cause of disease in humans and animals in a temperate climate. This outbreak, first documented on Vancouver Island, has since expanded throughout Western North America, with non–travel-associated ca...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Current infectious disease reports 2011-06, Vol.13 (3), p.256-261
Main Authors: Byrnes, Edmond J., Marr, Kieren A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal diseases
Clinical medicine
Epidemiology
Fungi
Infectious Diseases
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Outbreaks
Tropical diseases
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Summary:Over the previous decade, we observed the emergence of the fungal pathogen, Cryptococcus gattii, as a cause of disease in humans and animals in a temperate climate. This outbreak, first documented on Vancouver Island, has since expanded throughout Western North America, with non–travel-associated cases now in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and California. Additionally, a secondary outbreak, originating in and still restricted to Oregon, has also occurred. During the past several years, several studies detailing molecular typing, virulence, antifungal susceptibilities, epidemiology, and clinical issues have been published. These studies begin to address the complex dynamics of this novel emergence of a rare and fatal fungus, outline clinical characteristics of human cases, and also opened several new areas that should be explored in the upcoming years.
ISSN:1523-3847
1534-3146
DOI:10.1007/s11908-011-0181-0