This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Schwarz, P. Articles by Dannaoui, E. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Schwarz, P. Articles by Dannaoui, E.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, February 2006, p. 340-349, Vol. 44, No. 2
0095-1137/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JCM.44.2.340-349.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Molecular Identification of Zygomycetes from Culture and Experimentally Infected Tissues

Unité de Mycologie Moléculaire, Centre National de Référence Mycologie et Antifongiques, CNRS FRE2849, Institut Pasteur, Paris,¹ Laboratoire de Parasitologie—Mycologie, AP-HP, Hôpital Henri Mondor, Créteil,² Université Paris Descartes, Faculté de Médecine, AP-HP, Hôpital Necker-Enfants-Malades, Service des Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales, Paris,³ Université Paris Descartes, Faculté de Médecine, AP-HP, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, Unité de Parasitologie—Mycologie, Paris, France⁴

Received 18 July 2005/ Returned for modification 5 October 2005/ Accepted 8 November 2005

Mucormycosis is an emerging infection associated with a high mortality rate. Identification of the causative agents remains difficult and time-consuming by standard mycological procedures. In this study, internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequencing was validated as a reliable technique for identification of Zygomycetes to the species level. Furthermore, species identification directly from infected tissues was evaluated in experimentally infected mice. Fifty-four Zygomycetes strains belonging to 16 species, including the most common pathogenic species of Rhizopus spp., Absidia spp., Mucor spp., and Rhizomucor spp., were used to assess intra- and interspecies variability. Ribosomal DNA including the complete ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region was amplified with fungal universal primers, sequenced, and compared. Overall, for a given species, sequence similarities between isolates were >98%. In contrast, ITS sequences were very different between species, allowing an accurate identification of Zygomycetes to the species level in most cases. Six species (Rhizopus oryzae, Rhizopus microsporus, Rhizomucor pusillus, Mucor circinelloides, and Mucor indicus) were also used to induce disseminated mucormycosis in mice and to demonstrate that DNA extraction, amplification of fungal DNA, sequencing, and molecular identification were possible directly from frozen tissues.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Hata, D. J., Buckwalter, S. P., Pritt, B. S., Roberts, G. D., Wengenack, N. L. (2008). Real-Time PCR Method for Detection of Zygomycetes. J. Clin. Microbiol. 46: 2353-2358 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Schwarz, P., Lortholary, O., Dromer, F., Dannaoui, E. (2007). Carbon Assimilation Profiles as a Tool for Identification of Zygomycetes. J. Clin. Microbiol. 45: 1433-1439 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Iwen, P. C., Sigler, L., Noel, R. K., Freifeld, A. G. (2007). Mucor circinelloides Was Identified by Molecular Methods as a Cause of Primary Cutaneous Zygomycosis. J. Clin. Microbiol. 45: 636-640 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Pounder, J. I., Simmon, K. E., Barton, C. A., Hohmann, S. L., Brandt, M. E., Petti, C. A. (2007). Discovering Potential Pathogens among Fungi Identified as Nonsporulating Molds. J. Clin. Microbiol. 45: 568-571 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Geiser, D.M., Klich, M.A., Frisvad, J.C., Peterson, S.W., Varga, J., Samson, R.A. (2007). The current status of species recognition and identification in Aspergillus.. SIM 59: 1-10 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• LOULERGUE, P., HOT, A., DANNAOUI, E., DALLOT, A., POIREE, S., DUPONT, B., LORTHOLARY, O. (2006). SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT OF BLACK-GRAIN MYCETOMA WITH VORICONAZOLE. Am J Trop Med Hyg 75: 1106-1107 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Desnos-Ollivier, M., Bretagne, S., Dromer, F., Lortholary, O., Dannaoui, E. (2006). Molecular identification of black-grain mycetoma agents.. J. Clin. Microbiol. 44: 3517-3523 [Abstract] [Full Text]