Saksenaea dorisiaesp. nov., a New Opportunistic Pathogenic Fungus from Europe

Abstract

A new species, Saksenaea dorisiae (Mucoromycotina, Mucorales), isolated from a water sample originating from a private well in Manastirica, Petrovac, in the Republic of Serbia (Europe), is described and illustrated. The new taxon is well supported by multilocus phylogenetic analysis that included the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, domains D1 and D2 of the 28S rRNA gene (LSU), and translation elongation factor-1α gene (tef-1α), and it is resolved in a clade with S. oblongispora and S. trapezispora. This fungus is characterized by its moderately slow growth at 15 and 37°C, sparse rhizoids, conical-shaped sporangia, and short-cylindrical sporangiospores. Saksenaea dorisiae is a member of the opportunistic pathogenic genus often involved in severe human and animal mucormycoses encountered in tropical and subtropical regions. Despite its sensitivity to several conventional antifungals (terbinafine and ciclopirox), the fungus can potentially evoke clinically challenging infections. This is the first novel taxon of the genus Saksenaea described from the moderately continental climate area of Europe.

High-Temperature-Tolerant Fungus and Oomycetes in Korea, Including Saksenaea longicolla sp. nov.

“…A warm-temperate site from which S. dorisiae has been recorded, the Republic of Serbia is experiencing warming trends [ 37 ], similar to a Mediterranean climate. Additionally, as mentioned above, S. dorisiae has been discovered in the water at a depth well [ 36 ], which is less affected by the air temperature. To date, there has been no record of Saksenaea species from cooler regions.…”

“…To date, there has been no record of Saksenaea species from cooler regions. Interestingly, the sporangiospores of S. dorisiae have been reported to be lively at low temperatures in water [ 36 ], which could provide a hint that S. longicolla originating from freshwater could survive the cold season of Korea. However, further research is needed to answer this question.…”

“…Since its first description from forest soil in India [ 27 ], members of Saksenaea have been isolated mainly in soil habitats, but also diverse environments such as on the coast in Costa Rica [ 28 ] and Taiwan [ 29 ], a banana plantation in Honduras [ 30 ], a groundnut field in Israel [ 31 ], a pineapple field in Okinawa, Japan [ 32 ], tree nurseries in Georgia, USA [ 33 ], and forests in Panama [ 34 ] and Brazil [ 35 ]. S. dorisiae was recently described in freshwater [ 36 ]. This species has been found only in the temperate continental region (the Republic of Serbia), while other members of Saksenaea described so far have been isolated in subtropical and tropical regions.…”

“…This species has been found only in the temperate continental region (the Republic of Serbia), while other members of Saksenaea described so far have been isolated in subtropical and tropical regions. Serbia is one of the countries experiencing a warming trend with climate change [ 37 ], but it seems to be premature to mention any effect of climatic change on S. dorisiae because this species has been discovered in well water at a depth of 65 m [ 36 ]. It should be noted that Saksenaea species are often involved in severe human and animal mucormycosis in tropical and subtropical regions [ 38–40 ], certainly made possible because of their high-temperature tolerance, growing at 35–40 °C [ 35 , 41 ].…”

Disseminated Saksenaea infection in an immunocompromised host associated with a good clinical outcome: a case report and review of the literature

“…were first described in 1953 (as Saksenaea vasiformis) from soil in India and since then have been increasingly reported in human disease causing a diverse spectrum of clinical illness mostly in tropical and subtropical regions [2]. With the advent of molecular typing, multiple species have been described within the genus including S. vasiformis, S. erythrospora, S. oblongispora, S. loutrophoriformis, S. trapezispora and S. dorisiae [3][4][5]. In contrast to other causes of mucormycosis, Saksenaea spp.…”