Importance of Dematiaceous Fungi in Clinical Laboratory

Human and animal infections caused by phaeoid fungi can be logically separated into 4 categories under the headings: Superficial, Cutaneous, Subcutaneous, and Systemic diseases. They have a broad spectrum of clinical features, ranging in severity from superficial and mild, to deep-seated and life threatening. Phaeohyphomycosis is a cosmopolitan disease. Patients are usually adults, and about half seem to be immunologically compromised with such associated underlying diseases as diabetes mellitus, tuberculosis, leprosy and leukemia. In this section we will discuss about some of these fungi producing large muriform conidia as well as fungi producing phialids. The former include Alternaria, Stemphylum, Pithomyces, Ulocladium, and Epicoccum species and the latter include Phialophora, and Phaeoacremonium. Also the organisms which produce sympodial conidiophores and small conidia will be discussed: Fonsecaea, Rhinocladiella, and Ramichloridium species.