CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY REVIEWS, July 1999, p. 454–500 Vol. 12, No. 3 0893-8512/99/$04.00ϩ0 Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved. Developments in Fungal Taxonomy JOSEP GUARRO,* JOSEPA GENE´, AND ALBERTO M. STCHIGEL Unitat de Microbiologia, Departament de Cie`ncies Me`diques Ba`siques, Facultat de Medicina i Cie`ncies de la Salut, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 43201 Reus, Spain INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................................................454 THE CONCEPT OF SPECIES IN FUNGI .............................................................................................................455 PHYLOGENY AND EVOLUTION...........................................................................................................................455 NOMENCLATURE.....................................................................................................................................................456 CURRENT MYCOLOGICAL TYPING METHODS..............................................................................................457 Morphology..............................................................................................................................................................457 Downloaded from Molecular Techniques ............................................................................................................................................459 Other Techniques....................................................................................................................................................460 Physiological and biochemical techniques ......................................................................................................460 Secondary metabolites........................................................................................................................................460 Ubiquinone systems............................................................................................................................................461 Fatty acid composition .......................................................................................................................................461 Cell wall composition .........................................................................................................................................461 Protein composition............................................................................................................................................461 THE FUNGAL SYSTEM ...........................................................................................................................................461 CLINICALLY RELEVANT FUNGI..........................................................................................................................462 http://cmr.asm.org/ OOMYCOTA AND HYPHOCHYTRIOMYCOTA..................................................................................................462 ZYGOMYCOTA ..........................................................................................................................................................463 ASCOMYCOTA...........................................................................................................................................................463 Basal Ascomycetes ..................................................................................................................................................466 Unitunicate Pyrenomycetes....................................................................................................................................467 Microascales ........................................................................................................................................................468 Ophiostomatales..................................................................................................................................................469 Sordariales...........................................................................................................................................................469 Hypocreales..........................................................................................................................................................469 Bitunicate Pyrenomycetes ......................................................................................................................................473 on August 27, 2020 by guest Dothideales ..........................................................................................................................................................473 (i) Mycosphaerellaceae...................................................................................................................................474 (ii) Herpotrichiellaceae ..................................................................................................................................475 (iii) Dothideaceae............................................................................................................................................476 (iv) Pleosporaceae...........................................................................................................................................476 Plectomycetes...........................................................................................................................................................477 Eurotiales.............................................................................................................................................................477 Onygenales...........................................................................................................................................................479 Budding Yeasts........................................................................................................................................................483 Saccharomycetales ..............................................................................................................................................483 BASIDIOMYCOTA.....................................................................................................................................................484 Tremellales...............................................................................................................................................................484 Schizophyllales ........................................................................................................................................................488 Agaricales.................................................................................................................................................................488 Ustilaginales ............................................................................................................................................................488 DEUTEROMYCETES (MITOSPORIC FUNGI) ...................................................................................................488 GENERAL CONCLUSIONS.....................................................................................................................................489 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...........................................................................................................................................489 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................................................489 INTRODUCTION mainly to impairments in host defence mechanisms as a conse- quence of viral infections, especially the human immunodefi- The last 20 years or so has seen a growing number of fungal ciency virus epidemic, hematological disorders such as different infections coincident with a dramatic increase in the population of types of leukemia, organ transplants, and more intensive and severely immunocompromised patients. These infections are due aggressive medical practices. Many clinical procedures and treat- ments, such as surgery, the use of catheters, injections, radiation, chemotherapy, antibiotics, and steroids, are risk factors for fungal * Corresponding author. Mailing address: Unitat de Microbiologia, Departament de Cie`ncies Me`diquesBa`siques, Facultat de Medicina i infections. However, these procedures are necessary, and so the Cie`ncies de la Salut, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 43201 Reus, Spain. incidence of fungal infections will increase accordingly. Phone: 34-977759359. Fax: 34-977759322. E-mail: [email protected]. Until only a few years ago, pathogenic fungi were a well- 454 VOL. 12, 1999 DEVELOPMENTS IN FUNGAL TAXONOMY 455 defined group, some of which were limited to geographical application of the biological-species concept to fungi is com- regions and were well known by clinicians. However, the situ- plicated by the difficulties in mating and in assessing its out- ation has changed considerably, and new infectious agents are come (302). Also, whether a cross is considered fertile or continually appearing, around 20 species yearly. These new sterile depends on the frame of reference. In this sense, pub- opportunistic pathogens have increased the base of knowledge lished accounts of crosses between different species are often of medical mycology, and unexpected changes