The case for adopting the "Species Complex" nomenclature for the etiologic agents of Cryptococcosis

Kyung J Kwon-Chung; John E Bennett; Brian L Wickes; Wieland Meyer; Christina A Cuomo; Kurt R Wollenburg; Tihana A Bicanic; Elizabeth Castañeda; Yun C Chang; Jianghan Chen; Massimo Cogliati; Françoise Dromer; Scott G Filler; Matthew C Fisher; Thomas S Harrison; Steven M Holland; Shigeru Kohno; James W Kronstad; Marcia Lazera; Stuart M Levitz; Michail S Lionakis; Robin C May; Popchai Ngamskulrongroj; Peter G Pappas; John R Perfect; Volker Rickerts; Tania C Sorrell; Thomas J Walsh; Peter R Williamson; Jianping Xu; Adrian M Zelazny; Arturo Casadevall; David H Ellis

doi:10.1128/mSphere.00357-16

The case for adopting the "Species Complex" nomenclature for the etiologic agents of Cryptococcosis

Kyung J Kwon-Chung, John E Bennett, Brian L Wickes, Wieland Meyer, Christina A Cuomo, Kurt R Wollenburg, Tihana A Bicanic, Elizabeth Castañeda, Yun C Chang, Jianghan Chen, Massimo Cogliati, Françoise Dromer, Scott G Filler, Matthew C Fisher, Thomas S Harrison, Steven M Holland, Shigeru Kohno, James W Kronstad, Marcia Lazera, Stuart M LevitzMichail S Lionakis, Robin C May, Popchai Ngamskulrongroj, Peter G Pappas, John R Perfect, Volker Rickerts, Tania C Sorrell, Thomas J Walsh, Peter R Williamson, Jianping Xu, Adrian M Zelazny, Arturo Casadevall, David H Ellis

Biosciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

162 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Cryptococcosis is a potentially lethal disease of humans/animals caused by Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii. Distinction between the two species is based on phenotypic and genotypic characteristics. Recently, it was proposed that C. neoformans be divided into two species and C. gattii into five species based on a phylogenetic analysis of 115 isolates. While this proposal adds to the knowledge about the genetic diversity and population structure of cryptococcosis agents, the published genotypes of 2,606 strains have already revealed more genetic diversity than is encompassed by seven species. Naming every clade as a separate species at this juncture will lead to continuing nomenclatural instability. In the absence of biological differences between clades and no consensus about how DNA sequence alone can delineate a species, we recommend using "Cryptococcus neoformans species complex" and "C. gattii species complex" as a practical intermediate step, rather than creating more species. This strategy recognizes genetic diversity without creating confusion.

Original language	English
Article number	e00357-16
Journal	mSphere
Volume	2
Issue number	1
Early online date	11 Jan 2017
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1128/mSphere.00357-16
Publication status	Published - 20 Jan 2017

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10.1128/mSphere.00357-16Licence: Creative Commons: Attribution (CC BY)

DEALING WITH THERAPY-RESISTANT CRYPTOCOCCOSIS BY TARGETING INTRACELLULAR PATHOGENS
May, R.
Medical Research Council
15/10/12 → 14/04/16
Project: Research Councils

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Kwon-Chung, K. J., Bennett, J. E., Wickes, B. L., Meyer, W., Cuomo, C. A., Wollenburg, K. R., Bicanic, T. A., Castañeda, E., Chang, Y. C., Chen, J., Cogliati, M., Dromer, F., Filler, S. G., Fisher, M. C., Harrison, T. S., Holland, S. M., Kohno, S., Kronstad, J. W., Lazera, M., ... Ellis, D. H. (2017). The case for adopting the "Species Complex" nomenclature for the etiologic agents of Cryptococcosis. mSphere, 2(1), Article e00357-16. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1128/mSphere.00357-16

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title = "The case for adopting the {"}Species Complex{"} nomenclature for the etiologic agents of Cryptococcosis",

abstract = "Cryptococcosis is a potentially lethal disease of humans/animals caused by Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii. Distinction between the two species is based on phenotypic and genotypic characteristics. Recently, it was proposed that C. neoformans be divided into two species and C. gattii into five species based on a phylogenetic analysis of 115 isolates. While this proposal adds to the knowledge about the genetic diversity and population structure of cryptococcosis agents, the published genotypes of 2,606 strains have already revealed more genetic diversity than is encompassed by seven species. Naming every clade as a separate species at this juncture will lead to continuing nomenclatural instability. In the absence of biological differences between clades and no consensus about how DNA sequence alone can delineate a species, we recommend using {"}Cryptococcus neoformans species complex{"} and {"}C. gattii species complex{"} as a practical intermediate step, rather than creating more species. This strategy recognizes genetic diversity without creating confusion.",

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Kwon-Chung, KJ, Bennett, JE, Wickes, BL, Meyer, W, Cuomo, CA, Wollenburg, KR, Bicanic, TA, Castañeda, E, Chang, YC, Chen, J, Cogliati, M, Dromer, F, Filler, SG, Fisher, MC, Harrison, TS, Holland, SM, Kohno, S, Kronstad, JW, Lazera, M, Levitz, SM, Lionakis, MS, May, RC, Ngamskulrongroj, P, Pappas, PG, Perfect, JR, Rickerts, V, Sorrell, TC, Walsh, TJ, Williamson, PR, Xu, J, Zelazny, AM, Casadevall, A & Ellis, DH 2017, 'The case for adopting the "Species Complex" nomenclature for the etiologic agents of Cryptococcosis', mSphere, vol. 2, no. 1, e00357-16. https://doi.org/10.1128/mSphere.00357-16

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AU - Kwon-Chung, Kyung J

AU - Bennett, John E

AU - Wickes, Brian L

AU - Meyer, Wieland

AU - Cuomo, Christina A

AU - Wollenburg, Kurt R

AU - Bicanic, Tihana A

AU - Castañeda, Elizabeth

AU - Chang, Yun C

AU - Chen, Jianghan

AU - Cogliati, Massimo

AU - Dromer, Françoise

AU - Filler, Scott G

AU - Fisher, Matthew C

AU - Harrison, Thomas S

AU - Holland, Steven M

AU - Kohno, Shigeru

AU - Kronstad, James W

AU - Lazera, Marcia

AU - Levitz, Stuart M

AU - Lionakis, Michail S

AU - May, Robin C

AU - Ngamskulrongroj, Popchai

AU - Pappas, Peter G

AU - Perfect, John R

AU - Rickerts, Volker

AU - Sorrell, Tania C

AU - Walsh, Thomas J

AU - Williamson, Peter R

AU - Xu, Jianping

AU - Zelazny, Adrian M

AU - Casadevall, Arturo

AU - Ellis, David H

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N2 - Cryptococcosis is a potentially lethal disease of humans/animals caused by Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii. Distinction between the two species is based on phenotypic and genotypic characteristics. Recently, it was proposed that C. neoformans be divided into two species and C. gattii into five species based on a phylogenetic analysis of 115 isolates. While this proposal adds to the knowledge about the genetic diversity and population structure of cryptococcosis agents, the published genotypes of 2,606 strains have already revealed more genetic diversity than is encompassed by seven species. Naming every clade as a separate species at this juncture will lead to continuing nomenclatural instability. In the absence of biological differences between clades and no consensus about how DNA sequence alone can delineate a species, we recommend using "Cryptococcus neoformans species complex" and "C. gattii species complex" as a practical intermediate step, rather than creating more species. This strategy recognizes genetic diversity without creating confusion.

AB - Cryptococcosis is a potentially lethal disease of humans/animals caused by Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii. Distinction between the two species is based on phenotypic and genotypic characteristics. Recently, it was proposed that C. neoformans be divided into two species and C. gattii into five species based on a phylogenetic analysis of 115 isolates. While this proposal adds to the knowledge about the genetic diversity and population structure of cryptococcosis agents, the published genotypes of 2,606 strains have already revealed more genetic diversity than is encompassed by seven species. Naming every clade as a separate species at this juncture will lead to continuing nomenclatural instability. In the absence of biological differences between clades and no consensus about how DNA sequence alone can delineate a species, we recommend using "Cryptococcus neoformans species complex" and "C. gattii species complex" as a practical intermediate step, rather than creating more species. This strategy recognizes genetic diversity without creating confusion.

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DO - 10.1128/mSphere.00357-16

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JO - mSphere

JF - mSphere

IS - 1

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ER -

The case for adopting the "Species Complex" nomenclature for the etiologic agents of Cryptococcosis

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DEALING WITH THERAPY-RESISTANT CRYPTOCOCCOSIS BY TARGETING INTRACELLULAR PATHOGENS

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