Exophiala phaeomuriformis
Exophiala phaeomuriformis is thermophilic fungus belonging to the genus Exophiala and the family Herpotrichiellaceae. it is a member of the group of fungi known as black yeasts, and is typically found in hot and humid locations, such as saunas, bathrooms, and dishwashers. This species can cause skin infections and is typically classified as a Biosafety Risk Group 2 agent.
History
Exophiala phaeomuriformis is a member of the genus Exophiala, described in 1952 based on E. jeanselmei. Thirty species of Exophiala are currently recognized amongst which Exophiala dermatitidis is the most common. When studying samples of E. dermatitidis, Tadahiko Matsumoto and colleagues observed strains with a granular colonial form and distinctive microscopic morphology. Based on the resemblance of these strains to the genus Sarcinomyces, they proposed the new name, S. phaeomuriformis. This taxon was transferred to the genus Exophiala by Tiago Matos and co-workers in 2003 because of its yeast-like morphology, and its closer DNA homology to the genus Exophiala.Exophiala phaeomuriformis is a dematiaceous fungus and member of the group of fungi known as the black yeasts. Black yeasts are an unrelated category of fungi that share yeast-like morphology and possess darkly melanized cell walls. Although their DNA sequences are distinctive, E. phaeomuriformis and E. dermatitidis are so closely related that the two cannot be reliably differentiated morphologically or physiologically. Antigenic cross-reactivity suggests that E. phaeomuriformis may have originated as multicellular variant of E. dematitidis.
Growth and morphology
Like many other black yeasts, Exophiala phaeomuriformis is known only by its asexual form and no sexual form has been found. It is a thermophilic fungus preferring temperatures between but growing at any temperature between. Exophilala phaeomuriformis is more sensitive than other black yeasts to salt, incapable of growth at concentrations of sodium chloride exceeding 17%. Like other members of the genus Exophiala, it is able to tolerate a wide range of pH.Colonies of E. phaeomuriformis are hyaline, mycoid, and smooth when young but become black, dry, crumbly, raised, and mulberry-like in texture with age. Some strains fail to undergo this morphological switch and remain yeast-like in age. By contrast, many strains of E. dermatitidis become mycelial with age. Hyphal growth has not been observed in E. phaeomuriformis. Instead, colonies develop from loosely packed, single, and rounded budding yeast cells that are either scattered or aggregated in groups. Vegetative cells can either by unicellular or muriform or become divided by transverse septa only. Yeast cells are thick-walled and spherical or near-spherical in shape. Budding cells can have broad bases, occur in chains, and be multilateral, budding in different directions.