CRYPTOCOCCUS-NEOFORMANS IN PAPUA-NEW-GUINEA - A COMMON PATHOGEN BUT AN ELUSIVE SOURCE

Around Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (PNG), the annual incidence of c ryptococcal meningitis is estimated to be up to 42.8 per million popul ation; Cryptococcus neoformans var. gattii is the predominant causativ e agent. In Australia and California, environmental isolations have es tablished an ecological association of C. neoformans var. gattii with Eucalyptus camaldulensis, E. tereticornis, and more recently E. rudis and E. gomphcephala. In PNG few E. camaldulensis survive experimental planting, E. tereticornis is endemic and there are no records of plant ing of the non-endemic E. rudis and E. gomphcephela. Despite extensive sampling of eucalypt-associated and other sources, we were unable to identify the ecological niche of C. neoformans var. gattii and neoform ans in this region.