2.1. Yeast strains and culture media
C. deneoformans var. deneoformans JEC21 (serotype D) was used as the experimental subject. Liquid and solid YPD media (2% glucose, 2% peptone, 1% yeast extract, and pH 6.0) were used for routine growth and spotting tests. The yeast was cultured for 18 hours to the exponential phase, and the cells were collected by centrifugation and resuspended in liquid YPD, PBS buffer or sterile water. The yeast samples were diluted to make the number of cells in each smallest square of the haemocytometer average 5 to 25.