Lineages Derived from Cryptococcus neoformans Type Strain H99 Support a Link between the Capacity to Be Pleomorphic and Virulence

gene in a set of clinical isolates found strains with loss-of-function mutations were associated with higher patient death rates. The capacity to vary appears to be linked with virulence in Cryptococcus, and this can occur in the absence of genetic variation via epigenetic mechanisms.