Chrysosporium

Chrysosporium is a type of hyaline hyphomycetes fungi in the family Onygenaceae.

Chrysosporium
Chrysosporium keratinophilum conidia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Fungi
Phylum:	Ascomycota
Class:	Eurotiomycetes
Order:	Onygenales
Family:	Onygenaceae
Genus:	Chrysosporium Corda (1833)
Species
C. baduri Ulfig, Guarro & Vidal-Leir. ined. C. botryoides Skou C. carmichaelii Oorschot C. europae Sigler, Guarro & Punsola C. filiforme Sigler, J.W. Carmich. & H.S. Whitney C. georgiae (Varsavsky & Ajello) Oorschot C. globiferum Skou C. hispanicum Skou C. holmii Skou C. inops J.W. Carmich. C. keratinophilum D. Frey ex J.W. Carmich. C. kreiselii Dominik C. littoralis Ulfig, Guarro & Vidal-Leir. ined. C. lobatum Scharapov C. longisporum Stchigel et al. C. lucknowense Garg C. medium Skou C. mephiticum Sigler C. merdarium (Ehrenb.) J.W. Carmich. C. minor Skou C. pannicola (Corda) Oorschot & Stalpers C. pilosum Gené, Guarro & Ulfig C. pseudomerdarium Oorschot C. pyriformis Skou C. queenslandicum Apinis & R.G. Rees C. roseum Guarro, Ulfig & Vidal-Leir. ined. C. siglerae Cano & Guarro C. sulfureum (Fiedl.) Oorschot & Samson C. synchronum Oorschot C. tropicum J.W. Carmich. C. undulatum P. Vidal, Guarro & Ulfig C. vallenarense Oorschot & Piont. C. vespertilii Guarro, P. Vidal & De Vroey C. xerophilum Pitt C. zonatum Al-Musallam & C.S. Tan

Chrysosporium colonies are moderately fast-growing, flat, white to tan to beige in color; they often have a powdery or granular surface texture. Hyaline, one-celled (ameroconidia) are produced directly on vegetative hyphae by non-specialized conidiogenous cells. Conidia are typically pyriform to clavate with truncate bases (6 to 7 by 3.5 to 4 um) and are formed either intercalary (arthroconidia), laterally (often on pedicels), or terminally.

Clinical significance

Species of Chrysosporium are occasionally isolated from skin and nail scrapings, especially from feet, but, because they are common soil saprotrophs, they are usually considered as contaminants. There are about 22 species of Chrysosporium, several are keratinophilic with some also being thermotolerant, and cultures may closely resemble some dermatophytes, especially Trichophyton mentagrophytes, and some strains may also resemble cultures of Histoplasma and Blastomyces.

Chrysosporium has been identified as an emerging infectious disease, first in Canada affecting reptiles at around 1995.[1] It infected eastern massasauga rattlesnakes (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus).[2] By 2011, it had affected northern copperheads (Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen), timber rattlesnakes, black rat snakes, black racer snakes and eastern garter snakes in New Jersey.[1]

References

1. Michele S. Byers (February 14, 2013). "Fungus is killing off our snakes". The Messenger-Gazette.
2. Allender, M. C.; Dreslik, M.; Wylie, S.; Phillips, C.; Wylie, D. B.; Maddox, C.; Delaney, M. A.; Kinsel, M. J. (2011). "Chrysosporiumsp. Infection in Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnakes". Emerging Infectious Diseases. 17 (12): 2383–2384. doi:10.3201/eid1712.110240. PMC 3311193. PMID 22172594.