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.
São descritos 3 casos de paracoccidioidomicose com a forma aguda da doença, nos quais formas leveduriformes de Paracoccidioides brasiliensis foram visualizadas ao exame direto de medula óssea, sendo a cultura também positiva em um caso. Salienta-se o acometimento do sistema fagocítico-mononuclear e a ausência de resposta às provas cutâneas de hipersensibilidade tardia a antígenos microbianos e de P. brasiliensis em todos, bem como a gravidade do quadro clínico e lesões ósseas generalizadas em um caso, com 20.260 eosinófilos/mm³ no sangue periférico. Os autores discutem o possível papel do eosinófilo na interação hospedeiro-parasita na paracoccidioidomicose, sugerindo que a ativação de subpopulação TH 2 e o aumento de secreção de IL 5 e de GM-CSF possam estar relacionados à grande eosinofilia presente no caso mais grave
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.
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