| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
|
|
|
|||||||
|
|||||||||
Department of Botany, University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78713-7640, USA
University of Alberta Microfungus Collection and Herbarium, Devonian Botanic Garden, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E1
*Author for correspondence: Garry T. Cole. Tel: +1 512 471 4866. Fax: +1 512 471 3878. e-mail: grole@utxvms.cc.utexas.edu
ABSTRACT
Coccidioides immitis is an anomaly amongst the human systemic fungal pathogens. Its unique parasitic cycle has contributed to confusion over its taxonomy. Early investigators mistakenly suggested that the pathogen is a protist, while others agreed it to be a fungus but placed it in four different divisions of the Eumycota. The taxonomy of C. immitis is still unresolved. Ultrastructural examinations of its parasitic and saprobic phases have revealed features that are diagnostic of the ascomycetous fungi. Moreover, striking similarities between the kind of asexual reproduction (i.e. arthroconidium formation) of this pathogen and certain anamorphic and teleomorphic members of the genus Malbranchea have suggested a close relationship. Teleomorphs of these Malbranchea species are members of the Onygenaceae (Order, Onygenales). This family also includes teleomorphs of two human respiratory pathogens, Histoplasma capsulatum and Blastomyces dermatitidis. Although the 18S rRNA gene sequences (1713 bp) of these two pathogenic forms differ from that of C. immitis by only 35 and 33 substitutions, respectively, their mode of conidiogenesis is characterized by production of solitary aleurioconidia rather than alternate arthroconidia. In this study we have used characters derived from biochemical, immunological and molecular analyses to compare relatedness between C. immitis, H. capsulatum, B. dermatitidis, and six non-pathogenic species of Malbranchea (the Malbranchea states of Uncinocarpus reesii and Auxarthron zuffianum, as well as M. albolutea, M. dendritica, M. filamentosa and M. gypsea). Evidence is presented which supports inclusion of C. immitis in the Onygenaceae, and indicates that a close phylogenetic relationship exists between the Malbranchea state of U. reesii and this respiratory pathogen.
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  J. A. Fraser, J. E. Stajich, E. J. Tarcha, G. T. Cole, D. O. Inglis, A. Sil, and J. Heitman Evolution of the Mating Type Locus: Insights Gained from the Dimorphic Primary Fungal Pathogens Histoplasma capsulatum, Coccidioides immitis, and Coccidioides posadasii Eukaryot. Cell, April 1, 2007; 6(4): 622 - 629. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 J.-J. Yu, T. N. Kirkland, L. K. Hall, J. Wopschall, R. C. Smith, C.-Y. Hung, X. Chen, E. Tarcha, P. W. Thomas, and G. T. Cole Characterization of a Serodiagnostic Complement Fixation Antigen of Coccidioides posadasii Expressed in the Nonpathogenic Fungus Uncinocarpus reesii J. Clin. Microbiol., November 1, 2005; 43(11): 5462 - 5469. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 C.-Y. Hung, K. R. Seshan, J.-J. Yu, R. Schaller, J. Xue, V. Basrur, M. J. Gardner, and G. T. Cole A Metalloproteinase of Coccidioides posadasii Contributes to Evasion of Host Detection Infect. Immun., October 1, 2005; 73(10): 6689 - 6703. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 R. A. Cox and D. M. Magee Coccidioidomycosis: Host Response and Vaccine Development Clin. Microbiol. Rev., October 1, 2004; 17(4): 804 - 839. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 H. Johannesson, P. Vidal, J. Guarro, R. A. Herr, G. T. Cole, and J. W. Taylor Positive Directional Selection in the Proline-Rich Antigen (PRA) Gene Among the Human Pathogenic Fungi Coccidioides immitis, C. posadasii and Their Closest Relatives Mol. Biol. Evol., June 1, 2004; 21(6): 1134 - 1145. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 M. C. Fisher, G. L. Koenig, T. J. White, and J. W. Taylor Molecular and phenotypic description of Coccidioides posadasii sp. nov., previously recognized as the non-California population of Coccidioides immitis Mycologia, January 1, 2002; 94(1): 73 - 84. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
V. Koufopanou, A. Burt, T. Szaro, and J. W. Taylor Gene Genealogies, Cryptic Species, and Molecular Evolution in the Human Pathogen Coccidioides immitis and Relatives (Ascomycota, Onygenales) Mol. Biol. Evol., July 1, 2001; 18(7): 1246 - 1258. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
K. Li, J.-J. Yu, C.-Y. Hung, P. F. Lehmann, and G. T. Cole Recombinant Urease and Urease DNA of Coccidioides immitis Elicit an Immunoprotective Response against Coccidioidomycosis in Mice Infect. Immun., May 1, 2001; 69(5): 2878 - 2887. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
C.-Y. Hung, J.-J. Yu, P. F. Lehmann, and G. T. Cole Cloning and Expression of the Gene Which Encodes a Tube Precipitin Antigen and Wall-Associated {beta}-Glucosidase of Coccidioides immitis Infect. Immun., April 1, 2001; 69(4): 2211 - 2222. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
R. A. Herr, E. J. Tarcha, P. R. Taborda, J. W. Taylor, L. Ajello, and L. Mendoza Phylogenetic Analysis of Lacazia loboi Places This Previously Uncharacterized Pathogen within the Dimorphic Onygenales J. Clin. Microbiol., January 1, 2001; 39(1): 309 - 314. [Abstract] [Full Text]
|
|
|
|
|
|
U. Reichard, C.-Y. Hung, P. W. Thomas, and G. T. Cole Disruption of the Gene Which Encodes a Serodiagnostic Antigen and Chitinase of the Human Fungal Pathogen Coccidioides immitis Infect. Immun., October 1, 2000; 68(10): 5830 - 5838. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
D. R. Soll The Ins and Outs of DNA Fingerprinting the Infectious Fungi Clin. Microbiol. Rev., April 1, 2000; 13(2): 332 - 370. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
E. Roilides, L. Sigler, E. Bibashi, H. Katsifa, N. Flaris, and C. Panteliadis Disseminated Infection Due to Chrysosporium zonatum in a Patient with Chronic Granulomatous Disease and Review of Non-Aspergillus Fungal Infections in Patients with This Disease J. Clin. Microbiol., January 1, 1999; 37(1): 18 - 25. [Abstract] [Full Text]
|
|
|
|
|
|
J. W. Taylor, D. M. Geiser, A. Burt, and V. Koufopanou The Evolutionary Biology and Population Genetics Underlying Fungal Strain Typing Clin. Microbiol. Rev., January 1, 1999; 12(1): 126 - 146. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
S. W. Peterson and L. Sigler Molecular Genetic Variation in Emmonsia crescens and Emmonsia parva, Etiologic Agents of Adiaspiromycosis, and Their Phylogenetic Relationship to Blastomyces dermatitidis (Ajellomyces dermatitidis) and Other Systemic Fungal Pathogens J. Clin. Microbiol., October 1, 1998; 36(10): 2918 - 2925. [Abstract] [Full Text]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 V. Koufopanou, A. Burt, and J. W. Taylor Concordance of gene genealogies reveals reproductive isolation in the pathogenic fungus Coccidioides immitis PNAS, May 13, 1997; 94(10): 5478 - 5482. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
| INT J SYST EVOL MICROBIOL | MICROBIOLOGY | J GEN VIROL |
| J MED MICROBIOL | ALL SGM JOURNALS | |
