Until recently, Histoplasma capsulatum was believed to harbour three varieties, var. capsulatum (chiefly a New World human pathogen), var. duboisii (an African human pathogen) and var. farciminosum (an Old World horse pathogen), which varied in clinical manifestations and geographical distribution. We analysed the phylogenetic relationships of 137 individuals representing the three varieties from six continents using DNA sequence variation in four independent protein-coding genes. At least eight clades were idengified: (i) North American class 1 clade; (ii) North American class 2 clade; (iii) Latin American group A clade; (iv) Latin American group B clade; (v) Australian clade; (vi) Netherlands (Indonesian?) clade; (vii) Eurasian clade and (viii) African clade. Seven of eight clades represented genetically isolated groups that may be recognized as phylogenetic species. The sole exception was the Eurasian clade which originated from within the Latin American group A clade. The phylogenetic relationships among the clades made a star phylogeny. Histoplasma capsulatum var. capsulatum individuals were found in all eight clades. The African clade included all of the H. capsulatum var. duboisii individuals as well as individuals of the other two varieties. The 13 individuals of var. farciminosum were distributed among three phylogenetic species. These findings suggest that the three varieties of Histoplasma are phylogenetically meaningless. Instead we have to recognize the existence of genetically distinct geographical populations or phylogenetic species. Combining DNA substitution rates of protein-coding genes with the phylogeny suggests that the radiation of Histoplasma started between 3 and 13 million years ago in Latin America.

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Trichosporon asahii is a yeast that may cause systemic infection, especially in neutropenic patients. To our knowledge, only two cases of invasive infection with Trichosporon were previously described in liver transplant recipients. We describe an additional case of T. asahii infection after orthotopic liver transplantation in a non-neutropenic patient who had no known risk factor for invasive fungal infection, and died in spite of amphotericin B therapy.

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SUMMARYThe authors report a male patient, a seller with no detected immunosuppression, with an extensive ulcerated skin lesion localized on the left forearm, caused by Cryptococcus neoformans var. gattii serotype B. Oral treatment with fluconazole was successful.A review of the literature showed the rarity of this localization in HIV-negative patients. In contrast, skin lesions frequently occurs in HIV-positive patients, with Cryptococcus neoformans var. neoformans serotype A predominating as the etiological agent.In this paper, the pathogenicity of C. neoformans to skin lesions in patients immunocompromised or not, is discussed, showing the efficacy of fluconazole for the treatment of these processes.

SUMMARYCerebral phaeohyphomycosis ("chromoblastomycosis") is a rare intracranial lesion. We report the first human culture-proven case of brain abscesses due to Fonsecaea pedrosoi in Brazil. The patient, a 28 year-old immunocompetent white male, had ocular manifestations and a hypertensive intracranial syndrome. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain revealed a main tumoral mass involving the right temporo-occipital area and another smaller apparently healed lesion at the left occipital lobe. A cerebral biopsy was performed and the pathological report was cerebral chromoblastomycosis. The main lesion was enucleated surgically and culture of the necrotic and suppurative mass grew a fungus identified as Fonsecaea pedrosoi. The patient had received a knife wound sixteen years prior to his hospitalization and, more recently, manifested a pulmonary granulomatous lesion in the right lung with a single non-pigmented form of a fungus present. It was speculated that the fungus might have gained entrance to the host through the skin lesion, although a primary respiratory lesion was not excluded.The patient was discharged from the hospital still with ocular manifestations and on antimycotic therapy and was followed for eight months without disease recurrence. Few months after he had complications of the previous neuro-surgery and died. A complete autopsy was performed and no residual fungal disease was found.KEYWORDS: Phaeohyphomycosis; Cerebral "chromoblastomycosis"; Fonsecae pedrosoi; Brazil. CASE REPORTCase history -Patient: A 28 year-old white male, a rural worker, suffered in 1984 a knife wound in the right inguinal area when working in the woods which progressed to an abscess measuring approximately 2.0 x 0.5 cm in diameter. The patient was hospitalized and cultures of the material from the abscess were positive for Chromobacterium violaceum. No biopsy was obtained and no mycological study was done at the time. The patient received antibiotic treatment with healing of the skin lesion. At that time he noticed a visual defect in the left eye, which persisted to the end. He had epidemiological data for schistosomiasis and Chagas disease. The patient also referred an episode of icterus, fever and weakness one year prior to the clinical episode. Present history:In August 2000 the patient returned complaining of severe bitemporal headache accompanied by fits of dizziness with nausea and vomiting, right ocular pain and loss of the temporal field of the right eye.Examination showed a conscious young man, oriented, able to communicate well, with right papilledema and left optical disk atrophy. He had a right homonymous inferior quadrantopsy defect and a left homonymous hemianopsy. Isocoric pupils. Direct and consensual papillary reflex slow in the left eye and normal in the right eye. Near reflex normal in both eyes.Laboratory tests detected macrocytic anemia probably of nutritional origin. Serology for HIV, hepatitis B and C was negative.Lumbar tap, done few days after hospital admission showed essentially normal spin...

SUMMARYThe authors report two cases of onychomycosis in the dystrophic form, one of them involving an HIV-positive patient, provoked by Scytalidium dimidiatum, previously called Scytalidium lignicola. The subject is reviewed from the taxonomic viewpoint, considering the anamorph Hendersonula toruloidea as a synonym of Nattrassia mangiferae, and having Scytalidium dimidiatum as the major synanamorph. According to many mycologists, Scytalidium hyalinum may be a separate species or a hyaline mutant of Scytalidium dimidiatum. Scytalidium lignicola Pesante 1957 was considered to be the type-species of the genus by ELLIS (1971) 13 and later to be a "conidial state" of Hendersonula toruloidea by the same author, today known as Nattrassia mangiferae. The microorganism lives only on the roots of certain plants (mainly Platanus and Pinus). It produces pycnidia and is not considered to be a pathogen, although it is considered as a possible emerging agent capable of provoking opportunistic fungal lesions. The importance of this topic as one of the most outstanding in fungal taxonomy, so likely to be modified over time, as well as its interest in the field of dermatologic mycology, are emphasized.

The Authors show the results obtained through the study of a Paracoccidioides strain isolated from a penguin in the Uruguaian Antartide by GEZUELE et al. (1989). From the fecal mater it was isolated a fungus which was recently considered as a new species of the genus Paracoccidioides--P. antarcticus. However, the mycological and immunochemical studies including the demonstration of the 43 kDa glycoprotein by immunodiffusion test, SDS-PAGE and immunoelectrophoresis disclosed that such strain is similar to P. brasiliensis. Other studies, based on molecular taxonomy, including karyotyping, are the only tools to confirm the possibility of such strain to be a variant of P. brasiliensis. The Authors report the epidemiological significance of that finding and suggest a review in the knowledge of the ecological "niche" of P. brasiliensis.