DESCRIPTIONS OF MEDICAL FUNGI

2
Descriptions of Medical Fungi
The genus Acrophialophora contains 16 species that are most commonly associated
with soil, especially from India (Zhang et al. 2015a). Two species have been reported
as human pathogens, A. fusispora and A. levis (Sandoval-Denis et al. 2015). ITS
sequencing is recommended for species identification.
RG-1 organism.
Acrophialophora fusispora (S.B. Saksena) Samson
Morphological Description: Colonies fast growing, greyish-brown with a black
reverse. Conidiophores arising singly, terminally and laterally from the hyphae, erect,
straight or slightly flexuose, tapering towards the apex, pale brown, rough-walled, up
to 15 μm long, 2-5 μm wide, with whorls of phialides on the upper part. Phialides
flask-shaped with a swollen base and a long, narrow neck, hyaline, smooth-walled or
echinulate, 9-15 x 3-4.5 μm in the broadest part. Conidia in long chains, limoniform,
one-celled, pale brown 5-12 x 3-6 μm, smooth to finely echinulate with indistinct spiral
bands. Temperature: optimum 40 O C; maximum 50 O C.
Key Features: Hyphomycete with flask-shaped phialides producing long chains of
one-celled, limoniform, pale brown conidia, with indistinct spiral bands. Note: In A.
levis the conidia lack spiral bands and the phialides have verruculose walls.
Molecular Identification: D1/D2, ITS, 18S and β-tubulin sequences have been
reported by Sandoval-Denis et al. (2015) and Zhang et al (2015a).
References: Domsch et al. (2007), de Hoog et al. (2000, 2015), Al-Mohsen et al.
(2000), Guarro et al. (2007), Sandoval-Denis et al. (2015), Zhang et al. (2015a).
b
10 μm
a
Acrophialophora fusispora (a) culture and (b)
phialides and conidia with spiral striations (arrows).
Antifungal Susceptibility: A. fusispora data from about 40 isolates (Sandoval-
Denis et al. 2015 and Australian National data); MIC µg/mL.
Antifungal Range MIC 90
Antifungal Range MIC 90
AmB 1-32 16 VORI 0.06-0.5 0.25
ITRA 0.125-4 1 POSA 0.25-1 1