We studied 40 strains of the species complex formerly classified as the single species Sporothrix schenckii to identify new species within this complex and evaluate their antifungal susceptibility profiles. Based on phenotypic tests (ability to grow at 37°C, colony diameters, and pigmentation of the colonies, as well as assimilation of sucrose and raffinose) and molecular assays (amplification of a fragment of the calmodulin gene), here we report the identification of S. albicans, S. brasiliensis, S. luriei, and S. schenckii; two isolates of these species were detected as itraconazole-resistant strains.Sporotrichosis is a subcutaneous mycosis affecting humans and animals caused by Sporothrix schenckii. It has a worldwide distribution, especially in tropical and subtropical areas of Latin America, where areas of endemicity have been recognized (1,3,4,12). Recently, Marimon et al. (9,11). proposed that Sporothrix schenckii is a complex encompassing six cryptic species that had been previously identified by others (4). In this context, variation in the antifungal susceptibility profiles among these new species was hypothesized. The aim of this study was to explore a collection of 40 isolates formerly classified as Sporothrix schenckii in order to identify new species and evaluate their susceptibility to antifungal agents.The isolates were from cases of human (n ϭ 31) and animal (n ϭ 9) sporotrichosis diagnosed in the hinterlands of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil) and were maintained in the Department of Microbiology of the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), Santa Maria, Brazil. Among the human-derived strains, 18 (58.06%) were from fixed cutaneous sporotrichosis and 13 (41.9%) were from the lymphocutaneous form of the mycosis. Of the strains isolated from animals (n ϭ 9), eight were from cats and one (S. luriei) was isolated from a dog with sporotrichosis. As proposed by Marimon et al. (9,11), the phenotypic tests included the ability/inability to grow at 37°C on potato dextrose agar (PDA; HiMedia, Mumbay, India), different colony diameters (mm) after 21 days of incubation at 30°C on PDA, the pigmentation of the colonies on cornmeal agar (CMA), and the assimilation of sucrose and raffinose. The susceptibility tests were conducted according the procedures proposed for the M38-A2 technique (2). For molecular identification, a fragment of the calmodulin (CAL) gene was amplified from genomic DNA using the degenerate primers CL1[5Ј-GA(GA)T(AT)CAAAGGAGGCCTTCTC-3Ј] and CL2A (5Ј-TTTTTGCATCATGACTTGGAC-3Ј) (9). DNA sequencing was performed on the purified amplicons using a MegaBace 500 automatic sequencer. The sequences were aligned against sequences available in GenBank with ClustalX (version 1.8) followed by manual adjustments with a text editor. The phylogenetic analysis was performed with MEGA (Molecular Evolutionary Genetic Analysis) software version 4.0 (17).Based on recently proposed procedures (9, 11), we phenotypically identified four species: Sporothrix schenckii (n ϭ 37), Sporothrix brasiliensis (n ϭ 1), Sporo...

Here, a microdilution technique based on the M27-A2 protocol (NCCLS, 2002) was employed to compare the susceptibilities of Candida albicans and Candida dubliniensis to essential oils extracted from plants used as spices. The chemical compositions of the essential oils were defined based on the analysis of retention indices obtained by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy. Taken together, the results showed that the activity of the compounds against the two species was similar.

bReal-time PCR based on the recN and gyrB genes was developed to detect four Streptococcus bovis/Streptococcus equinus complex (SBEC) subspecies from rectal swab specimens. The overall prevalence was 35.2%: Streptococcus gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus (11.1%), S. gallolyticus subsp. pasteurianus (13%), Streptococcus infantarius subsp. coli (20.4%), and S. infantarius subsp. infantarius (11.1%). To conclude, these real-time PCR assays provide a reliable molecular method to detect SBEC pathogenic subspecies from rectal swab specimens.

SUMMARY Sporothrix schenckiiwas reclassified as a complex encompassing six cryptic species, which calls for the reassessment of clinical and epidemiological data of these new species. We evaluated the susceptibility of Sporothrix albicans (n = 1) , S. brasiliensis (n = 6) , S. globosa (n = 1), S. mexicana(n = 1) and S. schenckii(n = 36) to terbinafine (TRB) alone and in combination with itraconazole (ITZ), ketoconazole (KTZ), and voriconazole (VRZ) by a checkerboard microdilution method and determined the enzymatic profile of these species with the API-ZYM kit. Most interactions were additive (27.5%, 32.5% and 5%) or indifferent (70%, 50% and 52.5%) for TRB+KTZ, TRB+ITZ and TRB+VRZ, respectively. Antagonisms were observed in 42.5% of isolates for the TRB+VRZ combination. Based on enzymatic profiling, the Sporothrix schenckii strains were categorized into 14 biotypes. Leucine arylamidase (LA) activity was observed only for S. albicans and S. mexicana. The species S. globosaand S. mexicanawere the only species without β-glucosidase (GS) activity. Our results may contribute to a better understanding of virulence and resistance among species of the genus Sporothrixin further studies.

O gênero Malassezia compreende fungos leveduriformes lipofílicos e lipodependentes que recentemente sofreram mudanças em sua classificação taxonômica, com a introdução de quatro novas espécies: M. globosa, M. obtusa, M. slooffiae e M. restricta, além das espécies M. furfur, M. pachydermatis e M. sympodialis, anteriormente descritas. Estes fungos estão associados a vários quadros patológicos que incluem infecções como a pitiríase versicolor, dermatite seborréica, dermatite atópica, fungemia, entre outros. Estes quadros eram, até pouco tempo atrás, considerados exclusivamente causados pela espécie M. furfur. As mudanças na classificação taxonômica do gênero Malassezia levaram a uma reavaliação dos procedimentos laboratoriais utilizados para a identificação deste agente etiológico. Entre eles podemos citar o estudo e a caracterização morfológica das espécies, sua tolerância térmica, suas necessidades nutricionais para determinados tipos de ácidos graxos, bem como a composição e as características do DNA de cada uma delas.