Cryptococcus neoformans is an environmental microorganism that has become a major threat to a growing number of immunocompromised patients in today's world. Recently, the CDC estimated more than 1 million new cases/year of cryptococcosis will occur worldwide in patients with AIDS, with more than half of those affected by cryptococcosis dying of the infection.Importantly, during the last few years, cryptococcosis has emerged in the Vancouver Island, Canada and Pacific Northwest of the US as an important disease also in immunocompetent subjects. These epidemiological data underscore the potential for this microorganism to continue to emerge in unexpected geographic and clinical settings.