The fungal genus Pithomyces comprises numerous dematiaceous saprobic species commonly found on dead leaves and stems of a great variety of plants. Occasionally, they have been recovered from clinical specimens. We morphologically and molecularly (rDNA sequences) investigated a set of 42 isolates tentatively identified as Pithomyces recovered from clinical specimens in the United States. The predominant species were P. chartarum and P. sacchari (33.3% each), followed by Pithomyces sp. I (28.6%) and P. maydicus (4.8%). Most of the isolates were obtained from samples of superficial tissue (50%), the respiratory tract (21.4%), and the nasal region (19%). In general, these fungi were highly susceptible in vitro to the eight antifungal agents tested.
Da Cunha, Keith Cássia ; Guarro, Josep ; Wiederhold, Nathan P. ; Decock, Cony ; Madrid, Hugo ; et. al. Pithomyces species (Montagnulaceae) from clinical specimens: Identification and antifungal susceptibility profiles. In: Medical Mycology, Vol. 52, no. 7, p. 748-757 (2014)
