Novel taxa of thermally dimorphic systemic pathogens in the Ajellomycetaceae (Onygenales).
Recent discoveries of novel systemic fungal pathogens with thermally dimorphic yeast-like phases have challenged the current taxonomy of the Ajellomycetaceae, a family currently comprising the genera Blastomyces, Emmonsia, Emmonsiellopsis, Helicocarpus, Histoplasma, Lacazia and Paracoccidioides. Our morphological, phylogenetic and phylogenomic analyses demonstrated species relationships and their specific phenotypes, clarified generic boundaries and provided the first annotated genome assemblies to support the description of two new species. A new genus, Emergomyces, accommodates Emmonsia pasteuriana as type species, and the new species Emergomyces africanus, the aetiological agent of case series of disseminated infections in South Africa. Both species produce small yeast cells that bud at a narrow base at 37°C and lack adiaspores, classically associated with the genus Emmonsia. Another novel dimorphic pathogen, producing broad-based budding cells at 37°C and occurring outside North America, proved to belong to the genus Blastomyces, and is described as Blastomyces percursus.
CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands.|Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Karolina
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5963-7079
K
Dukik
Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.|Cellular and Molecular Biology Unit, Corporación para Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB), Medellín, Colombia.|Institute of Biology, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia.
Jose F
JF
Muñoz
CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands.|Department of Dermatology, The Affiliated Hospital, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China.
Yanping
Y
Jiang
CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands.|Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Peiying
P
Feng
University of Alberta Microfungus Collection and Herbarium and Biological Sciences, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
Lynne
L
Sigler
CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands.|Thermo Fisher Scientific, Landsmeer, The Netherlands.
J Benjamin
JB
Stielow
CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands.|Thermo Fisher Scientific, Landsmeer, The Netherlands.
Joanna
J
Freeke
CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands.|Thermo Fisher Scientific, Landsmeer, The Netherlands.
Azadeh
A
Jamalian
CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Bert
B
Gerrits van den Ende
Cellular and Molecular Biology Unit, Corporación para Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB), Medellín, Colombia.|School of Medicine, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia.
Juan G
JG
McEwen
Cellular and Molecular Biology Unit, Corporación para Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB), Medellín, Colombia.|School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia.
Oliver K
OK
Clay
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Epidemiology for Global Health Institute, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.|Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
Ilan S
IS
Schwartz
University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.|National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Nelesh P
NP
Govender
National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Tsidiso G
TG
Maphanga
Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Christina A
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5778-960X
CA
Cuomo
CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands.|Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.|Basic Pathology Department, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil.
Leandro F
LF
Moreno
University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.|Sexually Transmitted Infection Unit, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium.
Chris
C
Kenyon
PHE UK Mycology Reference Laboratory, Bristol, UK.
Andrew M
AM
Borman
CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands.|Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Sybren
S
de Hoog
D001758:Blastomyces / Q000235:genetics; D002912:Chrysosporium / Q000235:genetics; D016681:Genome, Fungal; D006658:Histoplasma / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008853:Microscopy; D025282:Mycelium / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009181:Mycoses / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D009656:North America / Q000453:epidemiology; D020036:Onygenales / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010641:Phenotype; D010802:Phylogeny; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D013172:Spores, Fungal / Q000648:ultrastructure

Ajellomycetaceae
; 
Blastomyces
; 
Emergomyces
; 
Emmonsia
; genomics; phylogeny