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Same-sex mating and the origin of the Vancouver Island Cryptococcus gattii outbreak

Author

Listed:
  • James A. Fraser

    (Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
    Howard Hughes Medical Institute)

  • Steven S. Giles

    (Department of Cell Biology)

  • Emily C. Wenink

    (Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology)

  • Scarlett G. Geunes-Boyer

    (Department of Cell Biology)

  • Jo Rae Wright

    (Department of Cell Biology)

  • Stephanie Diezmann

    (Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
    Institute of Genome Sciences and Policy)

  • Andria Allen

    (Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
    Institute of Genome Sciences and Policy)

  • Jason E. Stajich

    (Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
    Institute of Genome Sciences and Policy)

  • Fred S. Dietrich

    (Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
    Institute of Genome Sciences and Policy)

  • John R. Perfect

    (Department of Medicine)

  • Joseph Heitman

    (Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
    Howard Hughes Medical Institute
    Department of Medicine
    Duke University Medical Center)

Abstract

‘Same-sex’ mating game A virulent strain of the fungus Cryptococcus gattii emerged on Vancouver Island, Canada in 1999, causing an outbreak of meningoencephalitis, and it is still infecting humans and animals in the region. This was a surprise: C. gattii is normally restricted to the tropics where it grows on eucalyptus trees and only occasionally infects animals and humans. Geneticists now report that the outbreak was caused by genetic combination of the mildly pathogenic Australian incomer with another isolate of an unknown origin. Remarkably, these fungi combined via sexual reproduction to produce a hypervirulent strain, despite the fact that both were of the same ‘sex’. Both are classified ‘α’ rather than ‘a’ strains. It remains to be seen if such mating is common in the wild, and if it occurs in other parasites, such as Trypanosoma, Leishmania and Plasmodium falciparum, where similar α/a mating types are found.

Suggested Citation

  • James A. Fraser & Steven S. Giles & Emily C. Wenink & Scarlett G. Geunes-Boyer & Jo Rae Wright & Stephanie Diezmann & Andria Allen & Jason E. Stajich & Fred S. Dietrich & John R. Perfect & Joseph Heit, 2005. "Same-sex mating and the origin of the Vancouver Island Cryptococcus gattii outbreak," Nature, Nature, vol. 437(7063), pages 1360-1364, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:437:y:2005:i:7063:d:10.1038_nature04220
    DOI: 10.1038/nature04220
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    Cited by:

    1. Pengjie Hu & Hao Ding & Huimin Liu & Yulin Yang & Lei Chen & Guang-Jun He & Weixin Ke & Ping Zhu & Xiuyun Tian & Yan Peng & Zhenghao Shen & Xiaoxia Yao & Changyu Tao & Ence Yang & Guojian Liao & Xiao , 2022. "Regulatory basis for reproductive flexibility in a meningitis-causing fungal pathogen," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-19, December.
    2. Yen-Wen Wang & Megan C. McKeon & Holly Elmore & Jaqueline Hess & Jacob Golan & Hunter Gage & William Mao & Lynn Harrow & Susana C. Gonçalves & Christina M. Hull & Anne Pringle, 2023. "Invasive Californian death caps develop mushrooms unisexually and bisexually," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-13, December.

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