20.500.12556/RUL-168478 Interactions between the pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans and ants Despite the growing number of environmental surveys aimed to understand the ecology of the fungal pathogens Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii, little is known about their relationships with arthropods. In the present study we collected a large number of samples from trees and arthropods living on them to determine the occurrence of Cryptococcus in arthropods, to understand if they could represent a vehicle for dispersion in the environment, and finally to investigate how they might interact with the fungus. Samples were collected from seven different geographical areas of the world: northwestern Italy, southeastern Italy, Slovenia, Kosovo, Greece, Turkey, and Colombia. A total of 1396 trees were examined and 11,805 samples were collected, including 7492 arthropod samples. Arthropod positive samples, mostly from ants, were found only in northwestern and southeastern Italy, Greece, and Slovenia with an average rate of 0.2%. Thirty-three of positive trees hosted positive arthropods whereas in six of them arthropods resulted negative. In addition, for six trees, positive samples from arthropods were not associated with positive arboreal samples. In vitro experiments showed that ants can transfer cryptococcal yeasts from a contaminated substrate (soil or bark) to a sterile one and that the fungus can survive inside the digestive apparatus of ants. The present study showed that ants are potential vehicles for C. neoformans although the frequency of which they enter in contact with the fungus is low. Cryptococcal yeasts can survive within the bodies of ants, but it remains unclear whether the relationship they establish with their host is parasitic, commensal, or symbiotic. Cryptococcus neoformans Cryptococcus gattii arthropods ants MLST FISH true false true Angleški jezik Ni določen Članek v reviji 2025-04-15 10:58:14 2025-04-15 10:58:18 2025-04-16 04:22:14 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2025 0 0 13 str. Vol. 76, art. 101426 2025 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 579 1878-0083 10.1016/j.funeco.2025.101426 232772099 Interactions-Zdovc.pdf Interactions-Zdovc.pdf 1 0910B2C90E37E9069CBBCBF4A0F4A906 d3dfa8c7447da0f5d4d81a3bccbd59e1efb674f4cedf3f05cec1a3c19a634f87 d20d9799-19d7-11f0-b232-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=201983 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1754504825000169 1 a8691275-19d6-11f0-b232-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=201982 Medicinska fakulteta Veterinarska fakulteta 0 0 0