Indoor wet cells as a habitat for melanized fungi, opportunistic pathogens on humans and other vertebrates

TY - JOUR

T1 - Indoor wet cells as a habitat for melanized fungi, opportunistic pathogens on humans and other vertebrates

AU - Wang, Xiaofang

AU - Cai, Wenying

AU - Van Den Ende, A. H.G.Gerrits

AU - Zhang, Junmin

AU - Xie, Ting

AU - Xi, Liyan

AU - Li, Xiqing

AU - Sun, Jiufeng

AU - De Hoog, Sybren

PY - 2018/12/1

Y1 - 2018/12/1

N2 - Indoor wet cells serve as an environmental reservoir for a wide diversity of melanized fungi. A total of 313 melanized fungi were isolated at five locations in Guangzhou, China. Internal transcribed spacer (rDNA ITS) sequencing showed a preponderance of 27 species belonging to 10 genera; 64.22% (n = 201) were known as human opportunists in the orders Chaetothyriales and Venturiales, potentially causing cutaneous and sometimes deep infections. Knufia epidermidis was the most frequently encountered species in bathrooms (n = 26), while in kitchens Ochroconis musae (n = 14), Phialophora oxyspora (n = 12) and P. europaea (n = 10) were prevalent. Since the majority of species isolated are common agents of cutaneous infections and are rarely encountered in the natural environment, it is hypothesized that indoor facilities explain the previously enigmatic sources of infection by these organisms.

AB - Indoor wet cells serve as an environmental reservoir for a wide diversity of melanized fungi. A total of 313 melanized fungi were isolated at five locations in Guangzhou, China. Internal transcribed spacer (rDNA ITS) sequencing showed a preponderance of 27 species belonging to 10 genera; 64.22% (n = 201) were known as human opportunists in the orders Chaetothyriales and Venturiales, potentially causing cutaneous and sometimes deep infections. Knufia epidermidis was the most frequently encountered species in bathrooms (n = 26), while in kitchens Ochroconis musae (n = 14), Phialophora oxyspora (n = 12) and P. europaea (n = 10) were prevalent. Since the majority of species isolated are common agents of cutaneous infections and are rarely encountered in the natural environment, it is hypothesized that indoor facilities explain the previously enigmatic sources of infection by these organisms.

U2 - 10.1038/s41598-018-26071-7

DO - 10.1038/s41598-018-26071-7

M3 - Article

SN - 2045-2322

VL - 8

JO - Scientific Reports

JF - Scientific Reports

IS - 1

ER -