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Glite Dictionary
🦠 A disease fungus 🌱 A soil fungus
Cryptococcus gattii

Cryptococcus gattii

9.9
A fungus that lives in soil, decaying wood, and on eucalyptus trees
  • noun
  • /ˌkrɪptoʊˈkɒkəs ˈɡætiːaɪ/
  • Specialized
: Cryptococcus gattii
  • Researchers discovered Cryptococcus gattii in the soil beneath eucalyptus trees in the region.

Examples

  • Researchers discovered Cryptococcus gattii in the soil of a local park.

  • Can Cryptococcus gattii survive in extreme weather conditions?

  • Infections caused by Cryptococcus gattii are rare but can be serious in humans and animals.

  • The spread of Cryptococcus gattii to new environments has raised concerns among health officials.

  • Researchers discovered Cryptococcus gattii in the soil beneath eucalyptus trees in the region.

  • Infections caused by Cryptococcus gattii are rare but can be serious in humans and animals.

  • The spread of Cryptococcus gattii to new environments has raised concerns among health officials.

Surface Forms

Cryptococcus gattii singular
Cryptococcus gattii plural

Morphology

Cryptococcus + gattii

This is a scientific binomial: the genus name 'Cryptococcus' (a fungal genus) combined with the specific epithet 'gattii' denotes a particular species. Although 'gattii' is a proper-name label rather than a common-word with independent meaning, the taxonomic composition directly signals 'a species of Cryptococcus', a transparent, cross-linguistically regular naming pattern.

Etymology

Cryptococcus gattii gets its name from Greek words and a person's name: crypto means 'hidden' and coccus means 'round', while gattii was named for a scientist called Gatti. That image helps you remember it as a tiny, round yeast that lives in soil and on trees and can sometimes 'cause infection'.