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Part III - The Culprit The culprit of this mysterious illness is a fungus named Cryptococcus gattii, an encapsulated yeast (of the phylum, Basidiomycota) that lives in soil and in association with certain trees (Figure 2). This fungus had never before been seen on the island, nor was it known to survive outside of the tropics and subtropics. Now, the fungus was present in British Columbia, although no one knew where it had come from or how long it had been there. Figure 2. Pigmented (melanized) yeast colonies of Cryptococcus gattii on a Niger seed agar petri plate. Credit: Djspring, cc by-sa 3.0 . https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Cryptococcus_gattii_selection.jpg Questions 1. Where might a tropical fungus C. gattii be able to survive on the island? What microhabitats provide possibly suitable areas for its growth?

          Part III -

The Culprit The culprit of this mysterious illness is a fungus named Cryptococcus gattii, an encapsulated yeast (of the phylum, Basidiomycota) that lives in soil and in association with certain trees (Figure 2). This fungus had never before been seen on the island, nor was it known to survive outside of the tropics and subtropics. Now, the fungus was present in British Columbia, although no one knew where it had come from or how long it had been there.

Figure 2. Pigmented (melanized) yeast colonies of Cryptococcus gattii on a Niger seed agar petri plate. Credit: Djspring, cc by-sa 3.0 . https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Cryptococcus_gattii_selection.jpg

Questions
1. Where might a tropical fungus C. gattii be able to survive on the island? What microhabitats provide possibly suitable areas for its growth?

Part III -

The Culprit The culprit of this mysterious illness is a fungus named Cryptococcus gattii, an encapsulated yeast (of the phylum, Basidiomycota) that lives in soil and in association with certain trees (Figure 2). This fungus had never before been seen on the island, nor was it known to survive outside of the tropics and subtropics. Now, the fungus was present in British Columbia, although no one knew where it had come from or how long it had been there.

Figure 2. Pigmented (melanized) yeast colonies of Cryptococcus gattii on a Niger seed agar petri plate. Credit: Djspring, cc by-sa 3.0 . https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Cryptococcusgattiiselection.jpg

Questions
1. Where might a tropical fungus C. gattii be able to survive on the island? What microhabitats provide possibly suitable areas for its growth?

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