Cryptococcus - General Characteristics

General Characteristics

The cells of these species are covered in a thin layer of glycoprotein capsular material that has a gelatin-like consistency and that, among other functions, serves to help extract nutrients from the soil. But C. neoformans capsule is different in being richer in glucuronic acid and mannose, having O-acetyl groups, and functioning as the major virulence factor in cryptococcal infection and disease.