Open AccessSporothrix brasiliensis , S. globosa , and S. mexicana , Three New Sporothrix Species of Clinical Interest
Author(s) -
Rita Marimon,
Josep Cano,
Josepa Gené,
Deanna A. Sutton,
Masanori Kawasaki,
Josep Guarro
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of clinical microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.349
H-Index - 255
eISSN - 1070-633X
pISSN - 0095-1137
DOI - 10.1128/jcm.00808-07
Subject(s) - sporothrix schenckii , sporothrix , sporotrichosis , biology , dimorphic fungus , microbiology and biotechnology , phylogenetic tree , taxonomy (biology) , conidium , fungus , phylogenetics , species complex , raffinose , zoology , botany , genetics , gene , sucrose , yeast , biochemistry , immunology
Sporothrix schenckii is the species responsible for sporotrichosis, a fungal infection caused by the traumatic implantation of this dimorphic fungus. Recent molecular studies have demonstrated that this species constitutes a complex of numerous phylogenetic species. Since the delineation of such species could be of extreme importance from a clinical point of view, we have studied a total of 127 isolates, most of which were received asS. schenckii , including the available type strains of species currently considered synonyms, and also some close morphological species. We have phenotypically characterized all these isolates using different culture media, growth rates at different temperatures, and numerous nutritional tests and compared their calmodulin gene sequences. The molecular analysis revealed thatSporothrix albicans ,S. inflata , andS. schenckii var.luriei are species that are clearly different fromS. schenckii . The combination of these phenetic and genetic approaches allowed us to propose the new speciesSporothrix brasiliensis ,S. globosa , andS. mexicana . The key phenotypic features for recognizing these species are the morphology of the sessile pigmented conidia, growth at 30, 35, and 37°C, and the assimilation of sucrose, raffinose, and ribitol.