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Schizophyllum is an important genus of basidiomycetes that, apart from being of genetic and biotechnological interest, is also reported to be a plant and animal pathogen. Schizophyllum commune is the best-known species and the only one reported from clinical specimens thus far, being recovered mainly from the respiratory tract. The aim of this study was to determine the species diversity of 23 clinical isolates of Schizophyllum from the United States using multilocus phylogenetic analysis and their in vitro susceptibilities to six drugs. The markers used for sequencing were the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), a portion of the nuclear large subunit (LSU) of ribosomal DNA, the RNA polymerase II second-largest subunit (RPB2), and the translation elongation factor 1α (EF-1α) gene. The analyses revealed that 22 of the clinical isolates were in the Schizophyllum radiatum clade with high support values and 1 isolate was in the S. commune clade. This is the first report of this species in clinical samples. The two species mentioned above showed very similar morphological features in culture (i.e., white, cottony, unsporulated colonies composed of hyphae with clamp connections), making morphological discrimination between the two impossible. An epitype is designed for S. radiatum, and its sequences have been deposited in GenBank. The antifungal that showed the greatest in vitro activity against the strains tested was shown to be amphotericin B. In general, the strains of S. radiatum showed higher MICs than S. commune., (Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.)

The fungal genus Pithomyces comprises numerous dematiaceous saprobic species commonly found on dead leaves and stems of a great variety of plants. Occasionally, they have been recovered from clinical specimens. We morphologically and molecularly (rDNA sequences) investigated a set of 42 isolates tentatively identified as Pithomyces recovered from clinical specimens in the United States. The predominant species were P. chartarum and P. sacchari (33.3% each), followed by Pithomyces sp. I (28.6%) and P. maydicus (4.8%). Most of the isolates were obtained from samples of superficial tissue (50%), the respiratory tract (21.4%), and the nasal region (19%). In general, these fungi were highly susceptible in vitro to the eight antifungal agents tested., (© The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The International Society for Human and Animal Mycology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Ninety-nine isolates of clinical origin, tentatively identified as Scopulariopsis or Microascus, were morphologically and molecularly characterized by a combined analysis of the D1/D2 domains of the 28S rRNA gene and a fragment of the elongation factor 1-α gene (EF1-α) sequences. The most prevalent species was Scopulariopsis brevicaulis (49.4%), followed by Scopulariopsis gracilis (14.4%), Scopulariopsis brumptii (7.2%), Microascus cinereus (5.2%), the Scopulariopsis candida species complex (3.1%), and Microascus cirrosus (2.1%). The most common anatomic sites of isolation were the respiratory tract (61.6%), superficial tissue (19.2%), and deep tissue or fluid samples (19.2%). The antifungal susceptibilities of the isolates to eight drugs were tested in vitro, with all the drugs generally showing poor activity.

Novel species of fungi described in this study include those from various countries as follows: Australia: Banksiophoma australiensis (incl. Banksiophoma gen. nov.) on Banksia coccinea, Davidiellomyces australiensis (incl. Davidiellomyces gen. nov.) on Cyperaceae, Didymocyrtis banksiae on Banksia sessilis var. cygnorum, Disculoides calophyllae on Corymbia calophylla, Harknessia banksiae on Banksia sessilis, Harknessia banksiae-repens on Banksia repens, Harknessia banksiigena on Banksia sessilis var. cygnorum, Harknessia communis on Podocarpus sp., Harknessia platyphyllae on Eucalyptus platyphylla, Myrtacremonium eucalypti (incl. Myrtacremonium gen. nov.) on Eucalyptus globulus, Myrtapenidiella balenae on Eucalyptus sp., Myrtapenidiella eucalyptigena on Eucalyptus sp., Myrtapenidiella pleurocarpae on Eucalyptus pleurocarpa, Paraconiothyrium hakeae on Hakea sp., Paraphaeosphaeria xanthorrhoeae on Xanthorrhoea sp., Parateratosphaeria stirlingiae on Stirlingia sp., Perthomyces podocarpi (incl. Perthomyces gen. nov.) on Podocarpus sp., Readeriella ellipsoidea on Eucalyptus sp., Rosellinia australiensis on Banksia grandis, Tiarosporella corymbiae on Corymbia calophylla, Verrucoconiothyrium eucalyptigenum on Eucalyptus sp., Zasmidium commune on Xanthorrhoea sp., and Zasmidium podocarpi on Podocarpus sp. Brazil: Cyathus aurantogriseocarpus on decaying wood, Perenniporia brasiliensis on decayed wood, Perenniporia paraguyanensis on decayed wood, and Pseudocercospora leandrae-fragilis on Leandra fragilis. Chile: Phialocephala cladophialophoroides on human toe nail. Costa Rica: Psathyrella striatoannulata from soil. Czech Republic: Myotisia cremea (incl. Myotisia gen. nov.) on bat droppings. Ecuador: Humidicutis dictiocephala from soil, Hygrocybe macrosiparia from soil, Hygrocybe sangayensis from soil, and Polycephalomyces onorei on stem of Etlingera sp. France: Westerdykella centenaria from soil. Hungary: Tuber magentipunctatum from soil. India: Ganoderma mizoramense on decaying wood, Hodophilus indicus from soil, Keratinophyton turgidum in soil, and Russula arunii on Pterigota alata. Italy: Rhodocybe matesina from soil. Malaysia: Apoharknessia eucalyptorum, Harknessia malayensis, Harknessia pellitae, and Peyronellaea eucalypti on Eucalyptus pellita, Lectera capsici on Capsicum annuum, and Wallrothiella gmelinae on Gmelina arborea. Morocco: Neocordana musigena on Musa sp. New Zealand: Candida rongomai-pounamu on agaric mushroom surface, Candida vespimorsuum on cup fungus surface, Cylindrocladiella vitis on Vitis vinifera, Foliocryphia eucalyptorum on Eucalyptus sp., Ramularia vacciniicola on Vaccinium sp., and Rhodotorula ngohengohe on bird feather surface. Poland: Tolypocladium fumosum on a caterpillar case of unidentified Lepidoptera. Russia: Pholiotina longistipitata among moss. Spain: Coprinopsis pseudomarcescibilis from soil, Eremiomyces innocentii from soil, Gyroporus pseudocyanescens in humus, Inocybe parvicystis in humus, and Penicillium parvofructum from soil. Unknown origin: Paraphoma rhaphio lepidis on Rhaphiolepsis indica. USA: Acidiella americana from wall of a cooling tower, Neodactylaria obpyriformis (incl. Neodactylaria gen. nov.) from human bronchoalveolar lavage, and Saksenaea loutrophoriformis from human eye. Vietnam: Phytophthora mekongensis from Citrus grandis, and Phytophthora prodigiosa from Citrus grandis. Morphological and culture characteristics along with DNA barcodes are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Cuban citriculture has recently been affected by important pests and diseases including black citrus aphid Toxoptera citricida Kirkaldy, citrus leafminer Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton, Asiatic citrus psyllid Diaphorina citri Kuwayama, Citrus tristeza disease, and huanglongbing. This complex of ‘invasive species’ is thought to be contributing to the increasing decline of commercial citrus groves. During several surveys carried out in commercial citrus areas of several provinces in Cuba, symptoms of dieback, characterized by the presence of abundant dry branches and wood rot were detected on Criolla Valencia orange, Marsh grapefruit trees on sour orange, and Cleopatra mandarin rootstocks. Samples of branches and trunk wood were processed and a fungus was isolated from all samples. Morphological, physiological and molecular characterization demonstrated that the isolated agent is Fomitiporia maxonii Murrill. The incidence of affected trees was high in most surveyed groves, reaching 100% in old groves. Symptoms similar to the ones found in naturally infected trees were reproduced on trees inoculated with pure cultures of the fungus, and the fungus was recovered in culture from inoculated trees, thus fulfilling Koch's postulates. This is the first report of an association of F. maxonii with citrus wood rot in Cuba. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]