Lichtheimia hongkongensis sp. nov., A novel Lichtheimia species associated with rhinocerebral, gastrointestinal and cutaneous mucomycosis

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Mucormycosis is an opportunistic infection caused by ubiquitous filamentous fungi of the order Mucorales. As a result of the increasing use of immunosuppressive agents and prolonged survival of these patients, mucormycosis is becoming increasingly common, but mortality remains very high, often above 50%. MATERIALS: Semiquantification of enzymatic activities was performed using the API-ZYM test (bioMerieux Vitek, Hazelwood, MO). Growth kinetics experiments were performed on Sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA) and potato dextrose agar. ITS1-5.8S–ITS2 rRNA gene cluster (ITS), partial EF1α gene, and partial β-actin gene sequencing using degenerate primers were performed. METHODS: Phenotypic and phylogenetic characterizations were performed ...