Fonsecaea nubica sp. nov, a new agent of human chromoblastomycosis revealed using molecular data

Med Mycol. 2010 Sep;48(6):800-6. doi: 10.3109/13693780903503081.

Abstract

A new species of Fonsecaea, Fonsecaea nubica, morphologically similar to F. pedrosoi and F. monophora, is described using multilocus molecular data including AFLP profiles, sequences of the ribosomal internal transcribed spacers (ITS), and partial sequences of the cell division cycle (cdc42), beta-tubulin (tub1) and actin (act1) genes. A phylogenetic approach was used to evaluate species delimitation. Topologies of the trees were concordant. Fonsecaea strains could be classified into three major entities, i.e., one representing Fonsecaea pedrosoi isolates, another consisting of strains of F. monophora, and a third, unnamed group comprising isolates mostly recovered from cases of chromoblastomycosis in South America and China. F. nubica is part of this latter group. Based on strains analyzed thus far, we have found that the pathologies of these three Fonsecaea species are somewhat different in that F. pedrosoi and F. nubica are preponderantly associated with chromoblastomycosis, while F. monophora may also act as a systemic opportunist in cases involving brain infections. The latter species is also the most frequently recovered of the three from environmental samples.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Actins / genetics
  • Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis
  • Ascomycota / classification*
  • Ascomycota / cytology
  • Ascomycota / genetics
  • Ascomycota / isolation & purification*
  • Chromoblastomycosis / diagnosis*
  • Chromoblastomycosis / microbiology*
  • Cluster Analysis
  • DNA Fingerprinting
  • DNA, Fungal / chemistry
  • DNA, Fungal / genetics
  • DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / chemistry
  • DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / genetics
  • Fungal Proteins / genetics
  • Genotype
  • Humans
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Netherlands
  • Phylogeny
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Tubulin / genetics
  • cdc42 GTP-Binding Protein / genetics

Substances

  • Actins
  • DNA, Fungal
  • DNA, Ribosomal Spacer
  • Fungal Proteins
  • Tubulin
  • cdc42 GTP-Binding Protein

Associated data

  • GENBANK/GU197483