Hello again, Megvee.
I did a bit of research on Cryptococcus neoformans.
Yes, it is one of those unusual fungal infections that people can catch.
"...cryptococcus can utilize plant hosts as reservoir"--
(
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/p....)
I think the only way to know for sure if Cryptococcus is present in your tree would be to have cultures taken by a plant pathologist. The appearance of diseased plant parts would not be diagnostic.
It is not possible for forum members to tell you if Cryptococcus is present from looking at photos, IMO.
Other reservoirs are reported as soil, decaying wood, tree hollows, and bird droppings. Sounds hard to avoid.
I'm curious how this came to your attention, if you don't mind sharing that. I hope you have not had personal experience with Cryptococcosis (the disease).
Thank you for bringing this pathogen to my attention. Sounds like it's not new, but is new to me.