{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,24]],"date-time":"2026-09-24T00:09:42Z","timestamp":1790208582455,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":58,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,2]],"date-time":"2026-03-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1772409600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol."],"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    Cryptococcal meningitis (CM) is often approached under the assumption that\n                    <jats:italic>Cryptococcus neoformans<\/jats:italic>\n                    strains from any environment have equal potential for rapid central nervous system (CNS) invasion. This one-size-fits-all view shapes both treatment strategies and how virulence is studied. In this short communicationcont, we highlight increasing evidence showing that environmental nutrient profiles can \u201cpre-condition\u201d\n                    <jats:italic>C. neoformans<\/jats:italic>\n                    for distinct pathogenic trajectories. For example, phosphate-rich pigeon guano often yields small-capsule morphotypes suited for systemic dissemination, but their propensity for CNS invasion appears modest compared to inositol-rich eucalyptus-associated strains, which adopt small-cell, large-capsule phenotypes with cell surface features optimized for blood-brain barrier traversal and CNS adaptation. While pigeon guano-derived isolates can cause CM under certain host or epidemiological contexts, the scale of CNS disease linked to regions with more eucalyptus trees appears disproportionately higher in affected regions. Recognizing these ecological influences, we suggest a reframing of CM not as an inevitable outcome of exposure, but as a risk also modulated by environmental context, offering new avenues for surveillance, prediction, and targeted intervention.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fcimb.2025.1727496","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,2]],"date-time":"2026-03-02T06:32:46Z","timestamp":1772433166000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["The emergence of neuroinvasive Cryptococcus: why eucalyptus-rich regions, especially in Africa, may be facing greater risk"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Hilaire","family":"Irere","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Medical Research Council Centre for Medical Mycology at the University of Exeter, Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences","place":["Exeter, United Kingdom"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Racheal","family":"Dangarembizi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Medical Research Council Centre for Medical Mycology at the University of Exeter, Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences","place":["Exeter, United Kingdom"]},{"name":"Division of Physiological Sciences, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town","place":["Cape Town, South Africa"]},{"name":"Neuroscience Institute, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Groote Schuur Hospital","place":["Cape Town, South Africa"]},{"name":"Medical Research Council Centre for Medical Mycology Africa Unit","place":["Cape Town, South Africa"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Liliane","family":"Mukaremera","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Medical Research Council Centre for Medical Mycology at the University of Exeter, Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences","place":["Exeter, United Kingdom"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ivy M.","family":"Dambuza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Medical Research Council Centre for Medical Mycology at the University of Exeter, Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences","place":["Exeter, United Kingdom"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,2]]},"reference":[{"key":"B24","volume-title":"Insect outbreaks","author":"Barbosa","year":"1987"},{"key":"B25","unstructured":"Bonhoeffer\n              S.\n            \n            \n              Lenski\n              R. 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