Deadly fungus for AIDS Patients

Introduction

Trees are the environmental source of Cryptococcus gattii, the fungus responsible for causing life-threatening lung and brain infections in AIDS patients in southern California for decades. Three tree species - Canary Island pine, pohutukawa and American sweetgum - are the primary hosts of the fungus behind one-third of all AIDS-related deaths. The study found that the fungus remains fertile even after isolation from its environment, reproducing by sexual or asexual means. 

Source

Down To Earth, September 2014