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Environmental siblings of black agents of human chromoblastomycosis

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Abstract

Agents of human chromoblastomycosis, a skin disease almost exclusively caused by members of the order Chaetothyriales, are assumed to be traumatically inoculated into the skin with sharp environmental materials such as plant thorns or wooden splinters carrying the respective opportunist. In the supposition that such fungi should have their main habitat in the environment, we investigated the occurrence of black fungi in living areas of patients with chromoblastomycosis. In South America Fonsecaea agents are prevalent as agents of the disease, while also related Cladophialophora species, known from other types of skin infections, are known from the continent. Ninety environmental isolates were preliminarily selected as possible agents of chromoblastomycosis, based on morphology. Judging from ITS sequence data isolates were attributed to the genera Cladophialophora, Cyphellophora, Exophiala, Fonsecaea, Phialophora, and Veronaea. A total of 45 fungi morphologically identified as Fonsecaea or Cladophialophora isolated from debris and thorns of living prickly plants in Brazil were processed for taxonomic studies. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the isolates indeed belonged to the Chaetothyriales, but only rarely an agent of chromoblastomycosis was concerned; only two strains of F. pedrosoi and one F. monophora were isolated from debris plants. The remaining isolates belonged to hitherto unknown molecular siblings of Fonsecaea. Two novel taxa are introduced.

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Acknowledgements

Bert Gerrits van de Ende and Marcio Pie are thanked for technical assistance. The work of Vania A. Vicente was supported by a Brazilian Government fellowship and by financial support from the Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education—CAPES and Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa (CNPq). The work of Mohammad Javad Najafzadeh was supported by the Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CBS–KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre, P.O. Box 85167, 3508, AD, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    V. A. Vicente, M. J. Najafzadeh, Jiufeng Sun & G. S. de Hoog

  2. Microbiology, Parasitology and Pathology Post-graduation Program, Department of Basic Pathology, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil

    V. A. Vicente, R. R. Gomes, D. Robl & G. S. de Hoog

  3. Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    G. S. de Hoog

  4. Peking University Health Science Center, Research Center for Medical Mycology, Beijing, China

    G. S. de Hoog

  5. Sun-Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China

    G. S. de Hoog

  6. Second Medical Military University, Shanghai, China

    G. S. de Hoog

  7. King Abdulassiz University Jeddah, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

    G. S. de Hoog

  8. Department of Parasitology and Mycology, and Cancer Molecular Pathology Research Center, Ghaem Hospital, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

    M. J. Najafzadeh

  9. Guangdong Provincial Institute of Public Health, Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou, China

    Jiufeng Sun

  10. Federal University of Maranhão, University Hospital of the Federal University of Maranhão, São Luís, Brazil

    S. G. Marques & C. M. P. S. Azevedo

  11. Cedro Laboratory and University Hospital of the Federal University of Maranhão, São Luís, Brazil

    S. G. Marques

  12. Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo (USP), CEP 05508-900, São Paulo, Brazil

    D. Robl

Authors
  1. V. A. Vicente
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  2. M. J. Najafzadeh
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  3. Jiufeng Sun
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  4. R. R. Gomes
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  5. D. Robl
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  6. S. G. Marques
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  7. C. M. P. S. Azevedo
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  8. G. S. de Hoog
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to G. S. de Hoog.

Additional information

Taxonomic novelties: Fonsecaea erecta V. A. Vicente, Najafzadeh, Sun & de Hoog, Fonsecaea minima V. A. Vicente, Najafzadeh, Sun & de Hoog.

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Vicente, V.A., Najafzadeh, M.J., Sun, J. et al. Environmental siblings of black agents of human chromoblastomycosis. Fungal Diversity 65, 47–63 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13225-013-0246-5

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