Fungal Nomenclature: Managing Change is the Name of the Game

TY - JOUR

T1 - Fungal Nomenclature

T2 - Managing Change is the Name of the Game

AU - Kidd, Sarah E

AU - Abdolrasouli, Alireza

AU - Hagen, Ferry

N1 - © The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America.

PY - 2023/1/7

Y1 - 2023/1/7

N2 - Fungal species have undergone and continue to undergo significant nomenclatural change, primarily due to the abandonment of dual species nomenclature in 2013 and the widespread application of molecular technologies in taxonomy allowing correction of past classification errors. These have effected numerous name changes concerning medically important species, but by far the group causing most concern are the Candida yeasts. Among common species, Candida krusei, Candida glabrata, Candida guilliermondii, Candida lusitaniae, and Candida rugosa have been changed to Pichia kudriavzevii, Nakaseomyces glabrata, Meyerozyma guilliermondii, Clavispora lusitaniae, and Diutina rugosa, respectively. There are currently no guidelines for microbiology laboratories on implementing changes, and there is ongoing concern that clinicians will dismiss or misinterpret laboratory reports using unfamiliar species names. Here, we have outlined the rationale for name changes across the major groups of clinically important fungi and have provided practical recommendations for managing change.

AB - Fungal species have undergone and continue to undergo significant nomenclatural change, primarily due to the abandonment of dual species nomenclature in 2013 and the widespread application of molecular technologies in taxonomy allowing correction of past classification errors. These have effected numerous name changes concerning medically important species, but by far the group causing most concern are the Candida yeasts. Among common species, Candida krusei, Candida glabrata, Candida guilliermondii, Candida lusitaniae, and Candida rugosa have been changed to Pichia kudriavzevii, Nakaseomyces glabrata, Meyerozyma guilliermondii, Clavispora lusitaniae, and Diutina rugosa, respectively. There are currently no guidelines for microbiology laboratories on implementing changes, and there is ongoing concern that clinicians will dismiss or misinterpret laboratory reports using unfamiliar species names. Here, we have outlined the rationale for name changes across the major groups of clinically important fungi and have provided practical recommendations for managing change.

U2 - 10.1093/ofid/ofac559

DO - 10.1093/ofid/ofac559

M3 - Book/Film/Article review

C2 - 36632423

SN - 2328-8957

VL - 10

SP - ofac559

JO - Open Forum Infectious Diseases

JF - Open Forum Infectious Diseases

IS - 1

ER -