Neocucurbitaria unguis-hominis
Neocucurbitaria unguis-hominis (Punith. & M.P. English) Wanas., E.B.G. Jones & K.D. Hyde, in Wanasinghe et al., Mycosphere 8(3): 412 (2017).
≡ Pyrenochaeta unguis-hominis Punith. & M.P. English, Trans. Br. mycol. Soc. 64(3): 539 (1975).
Index Fungorum number: IF 552835; Facesoffungi number: FoF 02905, Fig. 1
Description: see Wanasinghe et al. (2017).
Material considered: see Wanasinghe et al. (2017).
Fig. 1 Neocucurbitaria acerina (MFLU 16-2710, holotype). a Appearance of ascomata on host surface. b Vertical section through an ascomata. c Cells of peridium. d Pseudoparaphyses. e, f Asci. g–i Ascospores. j Germinated ascospore. k, l Colonies on PDA (l is from the bottom). Scale bars: b = 200 μm, c, e, f = 20 μm, d, g–j = 10 μm.
Fig. 1 Neocucurbitaria unguis-hominis (IMI 184840, holotype, redrawn from Punithalingam and English 1975). a Vertical section of pycnidium. b Part of pycnidial wall, conidiogenous cell and conidia. c Conidiophores and conidiogenous cell. d Conidia. Scale bars: a = 50 μm, b, c = 10 μm, d = 2 μm.
Importance and distribution
Species of Neocucurbitaria are saprobic or parasitic on human skin. As saprobes, they play a role in nutrient recycling in the ecosystem. Neocucurbitaria unguis-hominis is a rare human pathogen that causes infection in human skin and nail (Toh et al. 2016). Neocucurbitaria comprises twenty-two species known on Cistaceae, Fabaceae, Fagaceae, Grossulariaceae, Juglandaceae, Leguminosae, Proteaceae, Rhamnaceae, Rosaceae, Salicaceae and Sapindaceae. Neocucurbitaria has been reported mainly from Africa (Morocco, Canary Islands), Europe (Austria, Germany, United Kingdom, Greece, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine), the United States and Western Australia.
References
Sutton BC. 1980 – The Coelomycetes. Fungi imperfecti with pycnidia, acervuli and stromata. Commonwealth Mycological Institute, Kew, pp 1–696.
Toh YF, Yew SM, Chan CL, Na SL et al. 2016 – Genome Anatomy of Pyrenochaeta unguis-hominis UM 256, a Multidrug Resistant Strain Isolated from Skin Scraping. PloS one 11, e0162095.
Wanasinghe DN, Phookamsak R, Jeewon R, Wen Jing Li et al. 2017 – Fenestellaceae with descriptions of new Fenestella species and Neocucurbitaria gen. nov. Mycosphere 8, 397–414.
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