We will launch another forum if it makes a move.  Maybe Gattii.org,   We will watch this closely...

In the genomic era, it is now possible to combine conventional epidemiological approaches with newly developed molecular typing techniques to gain insight into the emergence and molecular epidemiology of pathogens. These approaches can improve understanding of population dynamics during an outbreak, and may lead to novel methods for the rapid identification, treatment, and diagnosis of emerging infections [11]. In addition, molecular typing serves as an initial approach to classify isolates into distinct genotypes for analysis. Further investigations may include the examination of virulence and phenotypic traits that may be common or distinct between genotypes [6], [12], [13]. Gaining insights into the molecular epidemiology and virulence of newly emerging diseases has considerable potential for the rapid assessment and management of newly emerging infections.

Over the past decade, Cryptococcus gattii has emerged as a primary pathogen in northwestern North America, including both Canada and the United States [6], [13], [14], [15], [16], [17], [18]. In the past, C. gattii has often been associated with Eucalyptus trees in tropical and subtropical climates, causing disease in immunocompetent hosts at low incidences [19], [20], [21]. C. gattii is distinct from its sibling species Cryptococcus neoformans [22], which more commonly infects immunosuppressed hosts and infects almost one million people annually with over 620,000 attributable mortalities [23], [24], [25]. C. gattii can be classified into four discrete molecular types (VGI-VGIV), which represent cryptic species as no nuclear allelic exchange between groups has been observed [6]. This molecular classification is significant because VGII is responsible for approximately 95% of the Pacific Northwest infections in Canada and the United States [12], [15]. The appearance of C. gattii in North America is alarming because this is the first major emergence in a temperate climate, indicating a possible expansion in the endemic ecology of this pathogen [26], [27].

Several significant questions persist regarding the outbreak and its expansion within the United States. As the global collection of C. gattii isolates expands, the molecular epidemiology of the species has become increasingly informative, particularly through multilocus sequence typing (MLST), which allows data to be readily compared between groups within the research community [6], [15], [28], [29], [30]. The increase in global and regional isolates that have been typed at the molecular level allows detailed analysis of C. gattii. The analysis of both conserved coding regions, and diverse noncoding regions provides insight into the genotypes responsible for the outbreak. A major finding in this study is a level of underlying diversity within the VGIIa/major genotype in the region of expansion and other geographic locales.

Prior studies documented that the C. gattii VGIIa/major genotype isolates from Vancouver Island are highly virulent in experimental murine infection assays [6]. Here we expanded this analysis to examine clinical VGIIa genotype isolates from Vancouver Island, the United States, and Brazil, in addition to an environmental VGIIa isolate from California. Our findings are consistent with recent macrophage intracellular proliferation studies, demonstrating that United States isolates from the recent Pacific NW outbreak exhibit high virulence [31]. The enhanced virulence of isolates from the outbreak region, when compared with those from other regions, suggests that the genotypes circulating in the Pacific NW are inherently increased in their predilection to cause disease in mammalian hosts.

In addition to the detailed examination of the VGIIa/major genotype clade, we report that the novel VGIIc genotype is highly virulent in a murine inhalation model. Moreover, the VGIIc genotype was found to have high intracellular proliferation rates in macrophages and a significantly increased percentage of mitochondria with tubular morphology after macrophage exposure, and thus VGIIc isolates share virulence attributes with the VGIIa/major genotype isolates from the Vancouver Island outbreak. These results extend the molecular and phenotypic understanding of the recently discovered VGIIc/novel genotype and help shed light into its possible geographic and molecular origins.

These studies provide insights into both the evolutionary history and virulence characteristics of this unique and increasingly fatal fungal outbreak in the temperate climate of the North American Pacific Northwest and highlight the importance of a collaborative interdisciplinary approach to the analysis of emerging pathogens. Application of these approaches may increase awareness of disease risks in the expansion zone, lead to more rapid diagnoses and, as a result, accelerate the implementation of appropriate therapy.

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Actually the area is considered ...    a temperate rainforest.

While it is of concern for some people living in that climate....

Part of the reason we need not worry a great deal about this fungus is that the area that supports it is small.  

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This is a small biome in terms of area covered. 

The main stretch of this habitat is along the northwestern coast of North

America from northern California though southern Alaska.  There are also

small areas in southern Chile, New Zealand, Australia and a few other places

around the world...