Evolutionary events shaping the genome of Cryptococcus neoformans and their effects on pathogenesis

由新型隐球菌引起的真菌性脑膜炎患者的复发感染通常是由原始感染的持续而不是新菌株的再次感染引起的。我们对复发菌株的分析表明，在染色体末端经常发生小规模的改变-在其他病原体中包含重要的致病相关基因的区域。我们试图进一步描述这种微进化的特征，以了解它如何有助于这种病原体的成功。

Recurring infection in patients with fungal meningitis caused by Cryptococcus neoformans is typically caused by persistence of the original infection rather than reinfection with a new strain. Our analysis of relapse strains shows that small-scale alterations frequently occur at the chromosome ends - regions containing important pathogenesis-related genes in other pathogens. We seek to characterise this microevolution further to understand how it contributes to the success of this pathogen.