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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, June 2003, p. 2623-2628, Vol. 41, No. 6
0095-1137/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JCM.41.6.2623-2628.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Genetic Diversity among Clinical Isolates of Acremonium strictum Determined during an Investigation of a Fatal Mycosis

Thomas J. Novicki,^1* Karen LaFe,¹ Lynda Bui,¹ Uyen Bui,¹ Robert Geise,^2, Kieren Marr,^2,3 and Brad T. Cookson^1,4

Departments of Laboratory Medicine,¹ Medicine,² Microbiology, University of Washington,⁴ Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington³

Received 21 October 2002/ Returned for modification 16 December 2002/ Accepted 13 March 2003

Primarily saprophytic in nature, fungi of the genus Acremonium are a well-documented cause of mycetoma and other focal diseases. More recently, a number of Acremonium spp. have been implicated in invasive infections in the setting of severe immunosuppression. During the course of routine microbiological studies involving a case of fatal mycosis in a nonmyeloablative hematopoietic stem cell transplant patient, we identified a greater-than-expected variation among strains previously identified as Acremonium strictum by clinical microbiologists. Using DNA sequence analysis of the ribosomal DNA intergenic transcribed spacer (ITS) regions and the D1-D2 variable domain of the 28S ribosomal DNA gene (28S), the case isolate and four other clinical isolates phenotypically identified as A. strictum were found to have <99% homology to the A. strictum type strain, CBS 346.70, at the ITS and 28S loci, while a sixth isolate phenotypically identified only as Acremonium sp. had >99% homology to the type strain at both loci. These results suggest that five out of the six clinical isolates belong to species other than A. strictum or that the A. strictum taxon is genetically diverse. Based upon these sequence data, the clinical isolates were placed into three genogroups.

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* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Dept. of Laboratory Medicine, University of Washington, Mail Box 357110, 1959 NE Pacific St., Seattle WA 98195-7110. Phone: (206) 598-2171. Fax: (206) 598-6189. E-mail: novickit{at}u.washington.edu.

Present address: Outpatient Immunology Service, Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, 23845 Holman Highway, Monterey, CA 93940.

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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, June 2003, p. 2623-2628, Vol. 41, No. 6
0095-1137/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JCM.41.6.2623-2628.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

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