Isolation of herpotrichiellacious fungi from the environment

Abstract

Herpotrichiellaceous fungi, common agents of chromoblastomycosis and phaeohyphomycosis, were searched in samples of rotten wood, leaf littler, bark and soil of the rhizosphere, collected in the Centro Nacional de Pesquisas de Florestas/EMBRAPA, Colombo, PR, Brazil. Morphological analyses of macro, optic and scanning electron microscopy, as well as the determination of the nutritional pattern of the isolated strains were carried out for a taxonomical study. In a total of 17 colonies, 3 isolates (17.6%) were identified as species of medical relevance: Cladophialophora bantiana (Sacc.) de Hoog et al., Fonsecaea pedrosoi (Brumpt) Negroni and Phialophora verrucosa Medlar. The identifications were based on the results of the analyses and on the comparison with CBS (Centraal Bureau voor Schimmelcultures) reference strains. This investigation revealed the saprophytic existence of species known as agents of chromoblastomycosis and phaeohyphomycosis. These diseases are considered autochthonous in the studied area.