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Cryptococcus  species are life-threatening human fungal pathogens that cause cryptococcal meningoencephalitis in both immunocompromised and healthy hosts. The natural environmental niches of  Cryptococcus  include pigeon ( Columba livia ) guano, soil, and a variety of tree species such as  Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Ceratonia siliqua, Platanus orientalis , and  Pinus  spp. Genetic and genomic studies of extensive sample collections have provided insights into the population distribution and composition of different  Cryptococcus  species in geographic regions around the world. However, few such studies examined  Cryptococcus  in Turkey. We sampled 388  Olea europaea  (olive) and 132  E .  camaldulensis  trees from seven locations in coastal and inland areas of the Aegean region of Anatolian Turkey in September 2016 to investigate the distribution and genetic diversity present in the natural  Cryptococcus  population. We isolated 84  Cryptococcus neoformans  strains (83  MAT α and 1  MAT  a ) and 3  Cryptococcus deneoformans  strains (all  MAT α) from 87 (22.4% of surveyed)  O .  europaea  trees; a total of 32  C .  neoformans  strains were isolated from 32 (24.2%) of the  E .  camaldulensis  trees, all of which were  MAT α. A statistically significant difference was observed in the frequency of  C .  neoformans  isolation between coastal and inland areas ( P  < 0.05). Interestingly, the  MAT  a   C .  neoformans  isolate was fertile in laboratory crosses with VNI and VNB  MAT α tester strains and produced robust hyphae, basidia, and basidiospores, thus suggesting potential sexual reproduction in the natural population. Sequencing analyses of the  URA5  gene identified at least five different genotypes among the isolates. Population genetics and genomic analyses revealed that most of the isolates in Turkey belong to the VNBII lineage of  C .  neoformans , which is predominantly found in southern Africa; these isolates are part of a distinct minor clade within VNBII that includes several isolates from Zambia and Brazil. Our study provides insights into the geographic distribution of different  C .  neoformans  lineages in the Mediterranean region and highlights the need for wider geographic sampling to gain a better understanding of the natural habitats, migration, epidemiology, and evolution of this important human fungal pathogen.

Cryptococcus neoformans Recovered From Olive Trees (Olea europaea) in Turkey Reveal Allopatry With African and South American Lineages