Scholars@Duke
Gary Matthew Cox

Gary Matthew Cox

Professor of Medicine
Medicine, Infectious Diseases
gary.cox@duke.edu
Duke Box 102359, Durham, NC 27710
Hanes House, Rm 186, Durham, NC 27710

Selected Publications

Geographic information systems analysis to focus TB screening among people born in endemic countries.

Journal Article Int J Tuberc Lung Dis · March 31, 2025 BACKGROUNDGeographic information systems may help focus TB screening and treatment efforts to populations in greatest need, such as people born in endemic countries (PBEC).DESIGN/METHODSNorth Carolina USA censu ... Full text Link to item Cite

Beyond Infection: Mortality and End-of-Life Care Associated With Infectious Disease Consultation in an Academic Health System.

Journal Article Clin Infect Dis · October 15, 2024 BACKGROUND: Infectious diseases (ID) physicians are increasingly faced with the challenge of caring for patients with terminal illnesses or incurable infections. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort of all patients with an ID consult within an academic ... Full text Link to item Cite

Disparities in Mpox Vaccination Among Priority Populations During the 2022 Outbreak.

Journal Article Open Forum Infect Dis · September 2023 BACKGROUND: The 2022 mpox outbreak disproportionately affected men who have sex with men and persons living with HIV (PLWH). A 2-dose mpox vaccine series was deployed in mid-2022. Structural racism and insurance status may have affected equitable vaccinati ... Full text Link to item Cite

Concurrent Sexually Transmitted Infection Testing Among Patients Tested for Mpox at a Tertiary Healthcare System.

Journal Article Open Forum Infect Dis · August 2023 Coinfection with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and mpox is common. We evaluated concurrent STI testing among Duke Health patients tested for mpox. We found that most patients tested for mpox were not comprehensively tested for STIs, despite concur ... Full text Link to item Cite

Social Disadvantage, Politics, and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Trends: A County-level Analysis of United States Data.

Journal Article Clin Infect Dis · May 18, 2021 BACKGROUND: Understanding the epidemiology of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is essential for public health control efforts. Social, demographic, and political characteristics at the United States (US) county level might be as ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Geographic analysis of latent tuberculosis screening: A health system approach.

Journal Article PLoS One · 2020 BACKGROUND: Novel approaches are required to better focus latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) efforts in low-prevalence regions. Geographic information systems, used within large health systems, may provide one such approach. METHODS: A retrospective, cro ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Race/Ethnicity and Protease Inhibitor Use Influence Plasma Tenofovir Exposure in Adults Living with HIV-1 in AIDS Clinical Trials Group Study A5202.

Journal Article Antimicrob Agents Chemother · April 2019 AIDS Clinical Trial Group study A5202 (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT00118898) was a phase 3b, randomized, partially blinded equivalence study of open-label atazanavir/ritonavir or efavirenz, plus either placebo-controlled tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/ ... Full text Link to item Cite

Use of Letermovir as Salvage Therapy for Drug-Resistant Cytomegalovirus Retinitis.

Journal Article Antimicrob Agents Chemother · March 2019 Treatment options for drug-resistant cytomegalovirus (CMV) are limited. Letermovir is a novel antiviral recently approved for CMV prophylaxis following hematopoietic cell transplantation, but its efficacy in other settings is unknown. We recently used lete ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Streptococcus salivarius Prosthetic Joint Infection following Dental Cleaning despite Antibiotic Prophylaxis.

Journal Article Case Rep Infect Dis · 2019 We present the case of a 92-year-old man with septic arthritis of a prosthetic hip joint due to Streptococcus salivarius one week following a high-risk dental procedure despite preprocedure amoxicillin. S. salivarius is a commensal bacterium of the human o ... Full text Link to item Cite

Nocardia infections in the transplanted host.

Journal Article Transplant infectious disease : an official journal of the Transplantation Society · August 2018 BackgroundNocardia are uncommon pathogens that disproportionately afflict the immunocompromised host. Epidemiology and outcome data of Nocardia infections in transplant recipients are limited.MethodsWe performed a retrospective chart revi ... Full text Cite

Efavirenz Therapeutic Range in HIV-1 Treatment-Naive Participants.

Journal Article Ther Drug Monit · December 2017 BACKGROUND: Efavirenz is currently suggested as an alternative to recommended antiretroviral (ARV) regimens by the Department of Health and Human Services for the treatment of HIV-1 in ARV-naive patients. A mid-dosing interval therapeutic range between 100 ... Full text Link to item Cite

Suboptimal HIV Testing Among Patients Admitted With Pneumonia: A Missed Opportunity.

Journal Article AIDS Educ Prev · August 2017 Patients admitted with pneumonia are at higher risk for HIV and should be routinely screened. We examined a retrospective cohort of patients admitted to Duke University Health System with a primary diagnosis of pneumonia. During the study period, 6,951 per ... Full text Link to item Cite

Increasing Nocardia Incidence Associated with Bronchiectasis at a Tertiary Care Center.

Journal Article Ann Am Thorac Soc · March 2017 RATIONALE: Nocardia is a genus of pathogens that most commonly afflict immunocompromised hosts but may be an emerging infection among persons with bronchiectasis. OBJECTIVES: To examine the epidemiology and clinical presentation of adult patients with Noca ... Full text Link to item Cite

Clinical utility of indium 111-labeled white blood cell scintigraphy for evaluation of suspected infection.

Journal Article Open Forum Infect Dis · September 2014 BACKGROUND: We sought to characterize the clinical utility of indium 111 ((111)In)-labeled white blood cell (WBC) scans by indication, to identify patient populations who might benefit most from this imaging modality. METHODS: Medical records for all patie ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

The footprint of old syphilis: using a reverse screening algorithm for syphilis testing in a U.S. Geographic Information Systems-Based Community Outreach Program.

Journal Article Sex Transm Dis · November 2013 The impact of syphilis reverse sequence screening has not been evaluated in community outreach. Using reverse sequence screening in neighborhoods identified with geographic information systems, we found that among 239 participants, 45 (19%) were seropositi ... Full text Link to item Cite

Comparative Genomics of Serial Isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans Reveals Gene Associated With Carbon Utilization and Virulence.

Journal Article G3 (Bethesda) · April 9, 2013 The opportunistic fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans is a leading cause of mortality among the human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome population and is known for frequently causing life-threatening relapses. To investigate the ... Full text Link to item Cite

Nontuberculous mycobacterial infection after fractionated CO(2) laser resurfacing.

Journal Article Emerg Infect Dis · March 2013 Nontuberculous mycobacteria are increasingly associated with cutaneous infections after cosmetic procedures. Fractionated CO2 resurfacing, a widely used technique for photorejuvenation, has been associated with a more favorable side effect profile than alt ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Anthropometric differences between HIV-infected individuals prior to antiretroviral treatment and the general population from 1998-2007: the AIDS Clinical Trials Group Longitudinal Linked Randomized Trials (ALLRT) cohort and NHANES.

Journal Article PLoS One · 2013 OBJECTIVE: To assess differences in body circumferences and body mass index (BMI, kg/m(2)) between antiretroviral treatment (ART) naïve HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected persons. METHODS: Waist, arm, and thigh circumferences and BMI were measured within the ... Full text Link to item Cite

Geographic information system-based screening for TB, HIV, and syphilis (GIS-THIS): a cross-sectional study.

Journal Article PLoS One · 2012 OBJECTIVE: To determine the feasibility and case detection rate of a geographic information systems (GIS)-based integrated community screening strategy for tuberculosis, syphilis, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). DESIGN: Prospective cross-sectional ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Efficacy and safety of three antiretroviral regimens for initial treatment of HIV-1: a randomized clinical trial in diverse multinational settings.

Journal Article PLoS Med · 2012 BACKGROUND: Antiretroviral regimens with simplified dosing and better safety are needed to maximize the efficiency of antiretroviral delivery in resource-limited settings. We investigated the efficacy and safety of antiretroviral regimens with once-daily c ... Full text Link to item Cite

Feasibility and willingness-to-pay for integrated community-based tuberculosis testing.

Journal Article BMC Infect Dis · November 2, 2011 BACKGROUND: Community-based screening for TB, combined with HIV and syphilis testing, faces a number of barriers. One significant barrier is the value that target communities place on such screening. METHODS: Integrated testing for TB, HIV, and syphilis wa ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Pedicure-associated rapidly growing mycobacterial infection: an endemic disease.

Journal Article Clin Infect Dis · October 2011 Featured Publication BACKGROUND: Pedicure-associated nontuberculous mycobacterial furunculosis has been reported in the setting of either outbreaks or sporadic case reports. The epidemiology of these infections is not well understood. METHODS: Systematic surveillance for pedic ... Full text Link to item Cite

Tourism implications of cryptococcus gattii in the southeastern USA

Chapter · January 1, 2011 In 2007, the first confirmed case of Cryptococcus gattii was reported in the state of North Carolina, USA. An otherwise healthy human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) negative male patient presented with a large upper thigh cryptococcoma in February, which was ... Cite

Cryptococcosis in AIDS

Chapter · 2011 Cite

Pairing QuantiFERON gold in-tube with opt-out HIV testing in a tuberculosis contact investigation in the Southeastern United States.

Journal Article AIDS Patient Care STDS · September 2010 Knowing one's HIV status is particularly important in the setting of recent tuberculosis (TB) exposure. Blood tests for assessment of tuberculosis infection, such as the QuantiFERON Gold in-tube test (QFT; Cellestis Limited, Carnegie, Victoria, Australia), ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Wound botulism complicating internal fixation of a complex radial fracture.

Journal Article J Clin Microbiol · February 2010 Featured Publication Botulism developed in a patient following surgical repair of an open radial fracture. Symptoms resolved after treatment with antitoxin and antibiotics, and hardware excision was deferred. Subsequent osteomyelitis necessitated hardware exchange, and wound c ... Full text Link to item Cite

Thanks for the memories.

Journal Article Am J Med · September 2009 Full text Link to item Cite

First reported case of Cryptococcus gattii in the Southeastern USA: implications for travel-associated acquisition of an emerging pathogen.

Journal Article PLoS One · June 10, 2009 In 2007, the first confirmed case of Cryptococcus gattii was reported in the state of North Carolina, USA. An otherwise healthy HIV negative male patient presented with a large upper thigh cryptococcoma in February, which was surgically removed and the pat ... Full text Link to item Cite

Protection against cryptococcosis by using a murine gamma interferon-producing Cryptococcus neoformans strain.

Journal Article Infect Immun · March 2007 Featured Publication We evaluated cell-mediated immune (CMI) responses in mice given a pulmonary infection with a Cryptococcus neoformans strain engineered to produce the Th1-type cytokine gamma interferon (IFN-gamma). Mice given a pulmonary infection with an IFN-gamma-produci ... Full text Link to item Cite

Characterization and regulation of the trehalose synthesis pathway and its importance in the pathogenicity of Cryptococcus neoformans.

Journal Article Infect Immun · October 2006 The disaccharide trehalose has been found to play diverse roles, from energy source to stress protectant, and this sugar is found in organisms as diverse as bacteria, fungi, plants, and invertebrates but not in mammals. Recent studies in the pathobiology o ... Full text Link to item Cite

Cch1 mediates calcium entry in Cryptococcus neoformans and is essential in low-calcium environments.

Journal Article Eukaryot Cell · October 2006 The ability of Cryptococcus neoformans to grow at the mammalian body temperature (37 degrees C to 39 degrees C) is a well-established virulence factor. Growth of C. neoformans at this physiological temperature requires calcineurin, a Ca(2+)/calmodulin-depe ... Full text Link to item Cite

A unique fungal two-component system regulates stress responses, drug sensitivity, sexual development, and virulence of Cryptococcus neoformans.

Journal Article Mol Biol Cell · July 2006 The stress-activated mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway is widely used by eukaryotic organisms as a central conduit via which cellular responses to the environment effect growth and differentiation. The basidiomycetous human fungal pathogen Cr ... Full text Link to item Cite

Yeast diversity sampling on the San Juan Islands reveals no evidence for the spread of the Vancouver Island Cryptococcus gattii outbreak to this locale.

Journal Article FEMS Yeast Res · June 2006 Biological diversity has been estimated for various phyla of life, such as insects and mammals, but in the microbe world is has been difficult to determine species richness and abundance. Here we describe a study of species diversity of fungi with a yeast- ... Full text Link to item Cite

G protein-coupled receptor Gpr4 senses amino acids and activates the cAMP-PKA pathway in Cryptococcus neoformans.

Journal Article Mol Biol Cell · February 2006 The Galpha protein Gpa1 governs the cAMP-PKA signaling pathway and plays a central role in virulence and differentiation in the human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans, but the signals and receptors that trigger this pathway were unknown. We identifi ... Full text Link to item Cite

Carbonic anhydrase and CO2 sensing during Cryptococcus neoformans growth, differentiation, and virulence.

Journal Article Curr Biol · November 22, 2005 The gas carbon dioxide (CO2) plays a critical role in microbial and mammalian respiration, photosynthesis in algae and plants, chemoreception in insects, and even global warming . However, how CO2 is transported, sensed, and metabolized by microorganisms i ... Full text Link to item Cite

Phenotypic and genotypic evaluation of fluconazole resistance in vaginal Candida strains isolated from HIV-infected women from Brazil.

Journal Article Med Mycol · November 2005 We conducted a study to determine the antifungal susceptibility of vaginal Candida isolates from HIV-infected Brazilian women. Among 127 women enrolled, positive cultures for yeast were obtained from 31 of 38 (81%) women with symptomatic vulvovaginitis, an ... Full text Link to item Cite

Interaction between genetic background and the mating-type locus in Cryptococcus neoformans virulence potential.

Journal Article Genetics · November 2005 The study of quantitative traits provides a window on the interactions between multiple unlinked genetic loci. The interaction between hosts and pathogenic microbes, such as fungi, involves aspects of quantitative genetics for both partners in this dynamic ... Full text Link to item Cite

Cryptococcus neoformans {alpha} strains preferentially disseminate to the central nervous system during coinfection.

Journal Article Infect Immun · August 2005 Cryptococcus neoformans is a fungal pathogen that has evolved over the past 40 million years into three distinct varieties or sibling species (gattii, grubii, and neoformans). Each variety manifests differences in epidemiology and disease, and var. grubii ... Full text Link to item Cite

Identification and characterization of an SKN7 homologue in Cryptococcus neoformans.

Journal Article Infect Immun · August 2005 Cryptococcus neoformans is an encapsulated fungal pathogen that primarily infects the central nervous system of immunocompromised individuals, causing life-threatening meningoencephalitis. The capacity of C. neoformans to subvert host defenses and dissemin ... Full text Link to item Cite

Specialization of the HOG pathway and its impact on differentiation and virulence of Cryptococcus neoformans.

Journal Article Mol Biol Cell · May 2005 The human pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans has diverged from a common ancestor into three biologically distinct varieties or sibling species over the past 10-40 million years. During evolution of these divergent forms, serotype A C. neoformans var ... Full text Link to item Cite

Evaluation of host immune responses to pulmonary cryptococcosis using a temperature-sensitive C. neoformans calcineurin A mutant strain.

Journal Article Microb Pathog · 2005 Cryptococcus neoformans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen that threatens individuals with impaired cell-mediated immunity (CMI). Presently, there are no standardized vaccines available to prevent cryptococcal infections and conventional anti-fungal drug ... Full text Link to item Cite

Cytochrome c peroxidase contributes to the antioxidant defense of Cryptococcus neoformans.

Journal Article Fungal Genet Biol · January 2005 Cryptococcus neoformans is an opportunistic pathogen and the leading cause of fungal meningitis. To survive within the host, this organism must be able to protect itself from oxidative stress. Cytochrome c peroxidase (Ccp1) is a mitochondrial antioxidant t ... Full text Link to item Cite

Transcriptional network of multiple capsule and melanin genes governed by the Cryptococcus neoformans cyclic AMP cascade.

Journal Article Eukaryot Cell · January 2005 Cryptococcus neoformans is an opportunistic human fungal pathogen that elaborates several virulence attributes, including a polysaccharide capsule and melanin pigments. A conserved Galpha protein/cyclic AMP (cAMP) pathway controls melanin and capsule produ ... Full text Link to item Cite

Cryptococcus neoformans mitochondrial superoxide dismutase: an essential link between antioxidant function and high-temperature growth.

Journal Article Eukaryot Cell · January 2005 Manganese superoxide dismutase is an essential component of the mitochondrial antioxidant defense system of most eukaryotes. In the present study, we used a reverse-genetics approach to assess the contribution of the Cryptococcus neoformans manganese super ... Full text Link to item Cite

Adenylyl cyclase-associated protein Aca1 regulates virulence and differentiation of Cryptococcus neoformans via the cyclic AMP-protein kinase A cascade.

Journal Article Eukaryot Cell · December 2004 The evolutionarily conserved cyclic AMP (cAMP) signaling pathway controls cell functions in response to environmental cues in organisms as diverse as yeast and mammals. In the basidiomycetous human pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans, the cAMP pathwa ... Full text Link to item Cite

A Sch9 protein kinase homologue controlling virulence independently of the cAMP pathway in Cryptococcus neoformans.

Journal Article Curr Genet · November 2004 The polysaccharide capsule is one of the established virulence factors in Cryptococcus neoformans that provides a barrier against the host-mediated immune response. Mutation of the gene encoding the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Sch9 protein kinase homologue re ... Full text Link to item Cite

Identification of Cryptococcus neoformans temperature-regulated genes with a genomic-DNA microarray.

Journal Article Eukaryot Cell · October 2004 The ability to survive and proliferate at 37 degrees C is an essential virulence attribute of pathogenic microorganisms. A partial-genome microarray was used to profile gene expression in the human-pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans during growth at ... Full text Link to item Cite

Cryptococcus neoformans methionine synthase: expression analysis and requirement for virulence.

Journal Article Microbiology (Reading) · September 2004 This paper describes (i) the expression profile of the methionine synthase gene (MET6) in the human pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans and (ii) the phenotypes of a C. neoformans met6 mutant. In contrast to the MET3 gene, which showed no significant ... Full text Link to item Cite

Investigation of the basis of virulence in serotype A strains of Cryptococcus neoformans from apparently immunocompetent individuals.

Journal Article Curr Genet · August 2004 Cryptococcus neoformans serotype A strains commonly infect immunocompromised patients to cause fungal meningitis. To understand the basis of serotype A cryptococcal infections in apparently immunocompetent patients, we tested two hypotheses: the strains we ... Full text Link to item Cite

The alpha-specific cell identity factor Sxi1alpha is not required for virulence of Cryptococcus neoformans.

Journal Article Infect Immun · June 2004 Cryptococcus neoformans is a human fungal pathogen that has two mating types (a and alpha). Experiments have shown that in some backgrounds alpha strains are more virulent than a strains. Our studies reveal that the only known alpha-specific factor, SXI1al ... Full text Link to item Cite

Novel chimeric spermidine synthase-saccharopine dehydrogenase gene (SPE3-LYS9) in the human pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans.

Journal Article Eukaryot Cell · June 2004 The Cryptococcus neoformans LYS9 gene (encoding saccharopine dehydrogenase) was cloned and found to be part of an evolutionarily conserved chimera with SPE3 (encoding spermidine synthase). spe3-lys9, spe3-LYS9, and SPE3-lys9 mutants were constructed, and t ... Full text Link to item Cite

Cryptococcus neoformans Ilv2p confers resistance to sulfometuron methyl and is required for survival at 37 degrees C and in vivo.

Journal Article Microbiology (Reading) · May 2004 Acetolactate synthase catalyses the first common step in isoleucine and valine biosynthesis and is the target of several classes of inhibitors. The Cryptococcus neoformans ILV2 gene, encoding acetolactate synthase, was identified by complementation of a Sa ... Full text Link to item Cite

Urease expression by Cryptococcus neoformans promotes microvascular sequestration, thereby enhancing central nervous system invasion.

Journal Article Am J Pathol · May 2004 Our objective was to determine the role of the cryptococcal virulence factor urease in pulmonary-to-central nervous system, dissemination, invasion, and growth. C. neoformans H99, the urease knockout strain (ure1) derived from H99, and the urease restored ... Full text Link to item Cite

Cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunits have divergent roles in virulence factor production in two varieties of the fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans.

Journal Article Eukaryot Cell · February 2004 Our earlier findings established that cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase functions in a signaling cascade that regulates mating and virulence of Cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii (serotype A). Mutants lacking the serotype A protein kinase A (PKA) cataly ... Full text Link to item Cite

Cryptococcus neoformans Ilv2p confers resistance to sulfometuron methyl and is required for survival at 37 °C and in vivo

Journal Article Microbiology · 2004 Acetolactate synthase catalyses the first common step in isoleucine and valine biosynthesis and is the target of several classes of inhibitors. The Cryptococcus neoformans ILV2 gene, encoding acetolactate synthase, was identified by complementation of a Sa ... Cite

Enzymes that counteract nitrosative stress promote fungal virulence.

Journal Article Curr Biol · November 11, 2003 Enzymes that protect cells from reactive oxygen species (superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase) have well-established roles in mammalian biology and microbial pathogenesis. Two recently identified enzymes detoxify nitric oxide (NO)-related molecules; ... Full text Link to item Cite

Phospholipid-binding protein Cts1 controls septation and functions coordinately with calcineurin in Cryptococcus neoformans.

Journal Article Eukaryot Cell · October 2003 Cryptococcus neoformans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen that causes life-threatening meningoencephalitis in immunocompromised patients. The Ca(2+)-calmodulin-activated protein phosphatase calcineurin is necessary for virulence of C. neoformans. Mutants ... Full text Link to item Cite

Identification of App1 as a regulator of phagocytosis and virulence of Cryptococcus neoformans.

Journal Article J Clin Invest · October 2003 Cryptococcus neoformans is a fungal pathogen that, after inhalation, can disseminate to the brain. Host alveolar macrophages (AMs) represent the first defense against the fungus. Once phagocytosed by AMs, fungal cells are killed by a concerted mechanism, i ... Full text Link to item Cite

Role of alternative oxidase gene in pathogenesis of Cryptococcus neoformans.

Journal Article Infect Immun · October 2003 We identified a homologue of the alternative oxidase gene in a screen to identify genes that are preferentially transcribed in response to a shift to 37 degrees C in the human-pathogenic yeast Cryptococcus neoformans. Alternative oxidases are nucleus-encod ... Full text Link to item Cite

Sexual cycle of Cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii and virulence of congenic a and alpha isolates.

Journal Article Infect Immun · September 2003 Cryptococcus neoformans is a human-pathogenic fungus that has evolved into three distinct varieties that infect most prominently the central nervous system. A sexual cycle involving haploid cells of a and alpha mating types has been reported for two variet ... Full text Link to item Cite

A MAP kinase cascade composed of cell type specific and non-specific elements controls mating and differentiation of the fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans.

Journal Article Mol Microbiol · July 2003 Cryptococcus neoformans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen with a defined sexual cycle in which the alpha allele of the mating type locus is linked to virulence and haploid differentiation. Here we analysed a conserved MAP kinase cascade composed of matin ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Cryptococcus neoformans MAP kinase Mpk1 regulates cell integrity in response to antifungal drugs and loss of calcineurin function.

Journal Article Mol Microbiol · June 2003 Cell wall integrity is crucial for fungal growth, development and stress survival. In the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the cell integrity Mpk1/Slt2 MAP kinase and calcineurin pathways monitor cell wall integrity and promote cell wall remodelling u ... Full text Link to item Cite

Role of PLB1 in pulmonary inflammation and cryptococcal eicosanoid production.

Journal Article Infect Immun · March 2003 Cryptococcal phospholipase (PLB1) is a secreted enzyme with lysophospholipase hydrolase and lysophospholipase transacylase activities. To investigate the role of PLB1 in the evasion of host immune responses, we characterized pulmonary immune responses to t ... Full text Link to item Cite

Superoxide dismutase influences the virulence of Cryptococcus neoformans by affecting growth within macrophages.

Journal Article Infect Immun · January 2003 Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is an enzyme that converts superoxide radicals into hydrogen peroxide and molecular oxygen and has been shown to contribute to the virulence of many human-pathogenic bacteria through its ability to neutralize toxic levels of reac ... Full text Link to item Cite

Relationship of the glyoxylate pathway to the pathogenesis of Cryptococcus neoformans.

Journal Article Infect Immun · October 2002 Functional genomics has become a major focus in the study of microbial pathogenesis. This study used a functional genomic tool, differential display reverse transcription-PCR, to identify a transcriptional profile of Cryptococcus neoformans cells as they p ... Full text Link to item Cite

Molecular and genetic analysis of the Cryptococcus neoformans MET3 gene and a met3 mutant.

Journal Article Microbiology (Reading) · August 2002 The Cryptococcus neoformans MET3 cDNA (encoding ATP sulfurylase) was cloned by complementation of the corresponding met3 mutation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Sequence analysis showed high similarity between the deduced amino acid sequence of the C. neofor ... Full text Link to item Cite

Pheromones stimulate mating and differentiation via paracrine and autocrine signaling in Cryptococcus neoformans.

Journal Article Eukaryot Cell · June 2002 Cryptococcus neoformans is a pathogenic fungus with a defined sexual cycle involving haploid MATalpha and MATa cells. Interestingly, MATalpha strains are more common, are more virulent than congenic MATa strains, and undergo haploid fruiting in response to ... Full text Link to item Cite

Strain-dependent effects of environmental signals on the production of extracellular phospholipase by Cryptococcus neoformans.

Journal Article FEMS Microbiol Lett · April 9, 2002 Extracellular phospholipase (PL) activities comprising phospholipase B, lysophospholipase and lysophospholipase transacylase have been identified in culture supernatants of Cryptococcus neoformans and contribute to virulence. We found that PL production wa ... Full text Link to item Cite

Mating-type-specific and nonspecific PAK kinases play shared and divergent roles in Cryptococcus neoformans.

Journal Article Eukaryot Cell · April 2002 Cryptococcus neoformans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen with a defined sexual cycle involving fusion of haploid MATalpha and MATa cells. Virulence has been linked to the mating type, and MATalpha cells are more virulent than congenic MATa cells. To stu ... Full text Link to item Cite

Adenylyl cyclase functions downstream of the Galpha protein Gpa1 and controls mating and pathogenicity of Cryptococcus neoformans.

Journal Article Eukaryot Cell · February 2002 The signaling molecule cyclic AMP (cAMP) is a ubiquitous second messenger that enables cells to detect and respond to extracellular signals. cAMP is generated by the enzyme adenylyl cyclase, which is activated or inhibited by the Galpha subunits of heterot ... Full text Link to item Cite

Ras1 and Ras2 contribute shared and unique roles in physiology and virulence of Cryptococcus neoformans.

Journal Article Microbiology (Reading) · January 2002 The Ras1 signal transduction pathway controls the ability of the pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans to grow at high temperatures and to mate. A second RAS gene was identified in this organism. RAS2 is expressed at a very low level compared to RAS1, ... Full text Link to item Cite

Antisense repression in Cryptococcus neoformans as a laboratory tool and potential antifungal strategy.

Journal Article Microbiology (Reading) · January 2002 Antisense repression was used as a method to alter gene function in the human-pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans. The calcineurin A gene (CNA1) and the laccase gene (LAC1) were targeted since disruption of these loci results in phenotypes that are e ... Full text Link to item Cite

Molecular and genetic analysis of the Cryptococcus neoformans MET3 gene and a met3 mutant

Journal Article Microbiology · 2002 The Cryptococcus neoformans MET3 cDNA (encoding ATP sulfurylase) was cloned by complementation of the corresponding met3 mutation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Sequence analysis showed high similarity between the deduced amino acid sequence of the C. neofor ... Cite

Ras1 and Ras2 contribute shared and unique roles in physiology and virulence of Cryptococcus neoformans

Journal Article Microbiology · 2002 The Ras1 signal transduction pathway controls the ability of the pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans to grow at high temperatures and to mate. A second RAS gene was identified in this organism. RAS2 is expressed at a very low level compared to RAS1, ... Cite

Antisense repression in Cryptococcus neoformans as a laboratory tool and potential antifungal strategy

Journal Article Microbiology · 2002 Antisense repression was used as a method to alter gene function in the human-pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans. The calcineurin A gene (CNA1) and the laccase gene (LAC1) were targeted since disruption of these loci results in phenotypes that are e ... Cite

The impact of culture isolation of Aspergillus species: a hospital-based survey of aspergillosis.

Journal Article Clin Infect Dis · December 1, 2001 The term "aspergillosis" comprises several categories of infection: invasive aspergillosis; chronic necrotizing aspergillosis; aspergilloma, or fungus ball; and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis. In 24 medical centers, we examined the impact of a cul ... Full text Link to item Cite

Fungal phospholipase activity and susceptibility to lipid preparations of amphotericin B.

Journal Article Antimicrob Agents Chemother · November 2001 It has been postulated that phospholipases of fungal origin can affect in vitro susceptibility testing of amphotericin B lipid complex (ABLC). We used specific phospholipase-deficient mutants of Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans in susceptibilit ... Full text Link to item Cite

Two cyclophilin A homologs with shared and distinct functions important for growth and virulence of Cryptococcus neoformans.

Journal Article EMBO Rep · June 2001 Cyclophilin A is the target of the immunosuppressant cyclosporin A (CsA) and is encoded by a single unique gene conserved from yeast to humans. In the pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans, two homologous linked genes, CPA1 and CPA2, were found to enco ... Full text Link to item Cite

Identification and characterization of the Cryptococcus neoformans phosphomannose isomerase-encoding gene, MAN1, and its impact on pathogenicity.

Journal Article Mol Microbiol · May 2001 The polysaccharide capsule surrounding Cryptococcus neoformans comprises manose, xylose and glucuronic acid, of which mannose is the major constituent. The GDP-mannose biosynthesis pathway is highly conserved in fungi and consists of three key enzymes: pho ... Full text Link to item Cite

Cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase controls virulence of the fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans.

Journal Article Mol Cell Biol · May 2001 Cryptococcus neoformans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen that infects the human central nervous system. This pathogen elaborates two specialized virulence factors: the antioxidant melanin and an antiphagocytic immunosuppressive polysaccharide capsule. A ... Full text Link to item Cite

The use of flow cytometry as a tool for monitoring filament formation of fungi.

Journal Article Med Mycol · February 2001 Flow cytometry (FC) has the ability to discriminate a variety of cell parameters including cell size and complexity, and fluorescence intensity. As yeast cells or fungal spores germinate they undergo a morphological transformation from round oval shaped ce ... Full text Link to item Cite

A new dominant selectable marker for use in Cryptococcus neoformans.

Journal Article Med Mycol · February 2001 Cryptococcus neoformans is an excellent model system for studies on the molecular pathogenesis of fungal infections. There is only one dominant selectable market that can be used in the transformation of this organism, and we wanted to develop another. We ... Full text Link to item Cite

Calcineurin regulatory subunit is essential for virulence and mediates interactions with FKBP12-FK506 in Cryptococcus neoformans.

Journal Article Mol Microbiol · February 2001 Calcineurin is a Ca2+-calmodulin-regulated protein phosphatase that is the target of the immunosuppressive drugs cyclosporin A and FK506. Calcineurin is a heterodimer composed of a catalytic A and a regulatory B subunit. In previous studies, the calcineuri ... Full text Link to item Cite

Extracellular phospholipase activity is a virulence factor for Cryptococcus neoformans.

Journal Article Mol Microbiol · January 2001 The human pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans secretes a phospholipase enzyme that demonstrates phospholipase B (PLB), lysophospholipase hydrolase and lysophospholipase transacylase activities. This enzyme has been postulated to be a cryptococcal vir ... Full text Link to item Cite

Serotype AD strains of Cryptococcus neoformans are diploid or aneuploid and are heterozygous at the mating-type locus.

Journal Article Infect Immun · January 2001 Cryptococcus neoformans is a pathogenic basidiomycete with a defined sexual cycle involving mating between haploid yeast cells with a transient diploid state. C. neoformans occurs in four predominant serotypes (A, B, C, and D), which represent different va ... Full text Link to item Cite

Identification of the MATa mating-type locus of Cryptococcus neoformans reveals a serotype A MATa strain thought to have been extinct.

Journal Article Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A · December 19, 2000 Cryptococcus neoformans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen with a defined sexual cycle involving mating between haploid MATa and MATalpha cells. Here we describe the isolation of part of the MATa mating-type locus encoding a Ste20 kinase homolog, Ste20a. ... Full text Link to item Cite

Virulence mechanisms for fungi, Part II

Journal Article Clinical Microbiology Newsletter · August 15, 2000 With the molecular tools available for gene manipulation in pathogenic fungi and the rapid development of functional genomics and genome sequencing, the potential to understand the virulence composite of fungal pathogens has never been greater. Virulence g ... Full text Cite

Virulence mechanisms for fungi, Part I

Journal Article Clinical Microbiology Newsletter · August 1, 2000 In this first of a two-part article, the authors begin by discussing the general concepts of fungal virulence as well as host factors and fungal-specific factors that may contribute to the development of human disease. This discussion is followed by a desc ... Full text Cite

Identification and characterization of a highly conserved calcineurin binding protein, CBP1/calcipressin, in Cryptococcus neoformans.

Journal Article EMBO J · July 17, 2000 Calcineurin is the conserved target of the immunosuppressants cyclosporin A and FK506. Using the yeast two-hybrid system, we identified a novel calcineurin binding protein, CBP1, from the pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans. We show that CBP1 binds t ... Full text Link to item Cite

Synthesis of polymerized melanin by Cryptococcus neoformans in infected rodents.

Journal Article Infect Immun · May 2000 The ability of Cryptococcus neoformans to synthesize polymerized melanin in vitro has been associated with virulence, but it is unclear whether this fungus synthesizes polymerized melanin during infection. To study this question, we used two approaches: on ... Full text Link to item Cite

Urease as a virulence factor in experimental cryptococcosis.

Journal Article Infect Immun · February 2000 Urease catalyzes the hydrolysis of urea to ammonia and carbamate and has been found to be an important pathogenic factor for certain bacteria. Cryptococcus neoformans is a significant human pathogenic fungus that produces large amounts of urease; thus we w ... Full text Link to item Cite

Comparison of the roles of calcineurin in physiology and virulence in serotype D and serotype A strains of Cryptococcus neoformans.

Journal Article Infect Immun · February 2000 The calcineurin gene was cloned and disrupted in serotype D strains of Cryptococcus neoformans. Serotype A and serotype D calcineurin mutants were inviable at 37 degrees C and avirulent in mice, whereas only serotype A mutants were cation stress sensitive. ... Full text Link to item Cite

Reply.

Other J Infect Dis · February 2000 Full text Link to item Cite

Syringe exchanges: a public health response to problem drug use.

Journal Article Ir Med J · 2000 This paper presents the findings of the first ever Irish follow-up study to establish the effectiveness of syringe exchanges as a harm reduction strategy in the context of public health. The study was conducted in collaboration with 370 injecting drug user ... Link to item Cite

The STE12alpha homolog is required for haploid filamentation but largely dispensable for mating and virulence in Cryptococcus neoformans.

Journal Article Genetics · December 1999 Cryptococcus neoformans is a fungal pathogen that causes meningitis in immunocompromised hosts. The organism has a known sexual cycle, and strains of the MATalpha mating type are more virulent than isogenic MATa strains in mice, and they are more common in ... Full text Link to item Cite

Drug resistance in Cryptococcus neoformans.

Journal Article Drug Resist Updat · August 1999 Cryptococcus neoformans has become a major opportunistic fungal pathogen worldwide. Successful treatment of invasive disease with this fungus has used amphotericin B, flucytosine and various azoles. However, treatment failures continue to occur for a varie ... Full text Link to item Cite

Association of plasma levels of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 RNA and oropharyngeal Candida colonization.

Journal Article J Infect Dis · August 1999 The pathophysiology of oropharyngeal candidiasis in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 is poorly understood. Association between oropharyngeal yeast carriage and various clinical factors in HIV-1-infected patients was studied ... Full text Link to item Cite

Rapamycin antifungal action is mediated via conserved complexes with FKBP12 and TOR kinase homologs in Cryptococcus neoformans.

Journal Article Mol Cell Biol · June 1999 Cryptococcus neoformans is a fungal pathogen that causes meningitis in patients immunocompromised by AIDS, chemotherapy, organ transplantation, or high-dose steroids. Current antifungal drug therapies are limited and suffer from toxic side effects and drug ... Full text Link to item Cite

African-American women: leadership in transition.

Journal Article J Dent Educ · March 1999 Link to item Cite

Molecular methods for epidemiological and diagnostic studies of fungal infections.

Journal Article Pathology · November 1998 Over the past two decades there has been a remarkable increase in the incidence of invasive fungal infections. Molecular methods, such as karyotyping, restriction analysis and polymerase chain reaction (PCR), have now been applied to improve our current un ... Full text Link to item Cite

In vitro and in vivo efficacies of the azole SCH56592 against Cryptococcus neoformans.

Journal Article Antimicrob Agents Chemother · August 1996 Multiple isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans were tested to compare the in vitro activity of a new triazole, SCH56592, with those of amphotericin B, fluconazole, and itraconazole, MICs of each drug were determined, and minimum fungicidal concentrations of ... Full text Link to item Cite

Oropharyngeal yeast flora and fluconazole resistance in HIV-infected patients receiving long-term continuous versus intermittent fluconazole therapy.

Journal Article AIDS · March 1996 OBJECTIVE: To examine the impact of continuous versus intermittent fluconazole therapy on fungal colonization and fluconazole resistance in the oropharynx of HIV-infected patients. DESIGN: Case-control study. SETTING: Duke University Adult Infectious Disea ... Full text Link to item Cite

Dominant selection system for use in Cryptococcus neoformans.

Journal Article J Med Vet Mycol · 1996 Present transformation systems for Cryptococcus neoformans depend on complementation of auxotrophic mutants. We have developed a dominant selection system for transformation of wild-type strains of cryptococci in which resistance to the antibiotic hygromyc ... Link to item Cite

Dominant selection system for use in Cryptococcus neoformans

Journal Article Journal of Medical and Veterinary Mycology · January 1, 1996 Present transformation systems for Cryptococcus neoformans depend on complementation of auxotrophic mutants. We have developed a dominant selection system for transformation of wild-type strains of cryptococci in which resistance to the antibiotic hygromyc ... Full text Cite

Photo quiz. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

Journal Article Clin Infect Dis · August 1995 Link to item Cite

Answer to photo quiz (see page 315)

Journal Article Clinical Infectious Diseases · January 1, 1995 Full text Cite

The actin gene from Cryptococcus neoformans: structure and phylogenetic analysis.

Journal Article J Med Vet Mycol · 1995 Using heterologous probing of a genomic library, we have cloned and sequenced the actin gene from the pathogenic yeast Cryptococcus neoformans. The actin gene is 1371 bp in length, and exists as a single copy, as is the case for all fungi studied to date. ... Full text Link to item Cite

Photo quiz

Journal Article Clinical Infectious Diseases · January 1, 1995 Full text Cite

First report of involvement of Nodulisporium species in human disease.

Journal Article J Clin Microbiol · September 1994 Allergic fungal sinusitis is a common disease that results from a hypersensitivity reaction mounted by the host against fungi living in the paranasal sinuses. We have recently treated a patient with allergic fungal sinusitis due to a Nodulisporium species. ... Full text Link to item Cite

Karyotyping of Cryptococcus neoformans as an epidemiological tool.

Journal Article J Clin Microbiol · December 1993 Karyotyping of Cryptococcus neoformans var. neoformans can be used as an epidemiological tool for C. neoformans infections. In this study of over 40 isolates from both clinical and environmental sources, 90% had a unique chromosome banding by pulsed-field ... Full text Link to item Cite

Fungal infections

Journal Article Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases · January 1, 1993 Fungi are important infectious agents in the immunocompromised population. The increasing number of patients with fungal infections has led to a reevaluation of the epidemiology and treatment of these pathogens. Recently we have seen the emergence of sever ... Cite

The epidemiology of myasthenia gravis in central and western Virginia.

Journal Article Neurology · October 1992 We conducted a study of the epidemiology of myasthenia gravis (MG) in four locations in central and western Virginia from 1970 through 1984. The population surveyed was 555,851 in 1984. A total of 73 new cases of MG occurred during the survey period, produ ... Full text Link to item Cite

Visceral leishmaniasis: a model for infection-induced cachexia.

Journal Article Am J Trop Med Hyg · July 1992 Parasitic infections and malnutrition coexist in many tropical and subtropical areas. Studies of Leishmania donovani and of experimentally infected Syrian hamsters have provided important insights into the complex interrelationships between malnutrition an ... Full text Link to item Cite

Genetic susceptibility to naevi--a twin study.

Journal Article Br J Cancer · December 1991 The risk of malignant melanoma to an individual is strongly related to their total number of benign melanocytic naevi. To investigate the possibility that numbers of naevi may have an inherited basis, naevi were examined in 23 monozygotic and 22 dizygotic ... Full text Link to item Cite

Wasting and macrophage production of tumor necrosis factor/cachectin and interleukin 1 in experimental visceral leishmaniasis.

Journal Article Am J Trop Med Hyg · December 1990 Wasting and secretion of the catabolic cytokines tumor necrosis factor (TNF)/cachectin and interleukin 1 (IL-1) were assessed in weanling Syrian hamsters infected with Leishmania donovani amastigotes. Whereas the mean weight of uninfected animals increased ... Full text Link to item Cite

The psychosocial aspects of adolescent pregnancy: a dental perspective.

Journal Article ASDC J Dent Child · 1986 This paper presents some of the psychological and social aspects of the adolescent who is pregnant, and how the combination of adolescence and pregnancy affect the dental management of these patients. ... Link to item Cite

A study of oral pain experience in sickle cell patients.

Journal Article Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol · July 1984 This study was designed to measure the degree of association between dental pain and its frequency during sickle cell crisis. Randomized study and control groups, each consisting of outpatient clinic patients, were selected. Each subject was interviewed vi ... Full text Link to item Cite