Development of Positive Selectable Markers for the Fungal Pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans

Cryptococcus neoformans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen that causes meningitis in ∼10% of patients with AIDS. New selectable markers which confer resistance to G418 or phleomycin when transformed into C. neoformans were made. A hygromycin-selectable marker was modified to allow selection with a single copy of the marker.