Size Matters: Measurement of Capsule Diameter in Cryptococcus neoformans

The overall goal of this procedure is to stain the polysaccharide capsule of C.neoformans strains for the visualization and measurement of the capsule diameter. These methods can help researchers with the induction, imaging, and measurement of capsule size in Cryptococcus neoformans. The main advantage of the staining and imaging techniques is that they are simple, fast, and allow for an accurate measurement of capsule diameter.

Visual demonstration of this method is critical as the software steps may be confusing the first time it is used. Diameter of the Cryptococcus neoformans'capsule is often used as a measure of virulence. The ability to automate this process can save significant analysis time.