What’s Old is New: Recognition of New Fungal Pathogens in the Era of Phylogenetics and Changing Taxonomy and Implications for Medical Mycology

Abstract

Despite the availability of new diagnostic assays and broad-spectrum antifungal agents, invasive fungal infections remain a significant challenge to clinicians and are associated with marked morbidity and mortality. In addition, the number of etiologic agents of invasive mycoses has increased with the expansion of immunocompromised patients’ populations, and the use of molecular tools for fungal identification and characterization has resulted in the discovery of several cryptic species. Correct identification of the infecting organism is important to help make treatment decisions, as fungal species that are similar morphologically and phylogenetically may have different antifungal susceptibility patterns, thus affecting patient outcomes. This chapter reviews the methods used to identify fungi in the clinical laboratory and discusses issues associated with changes in fungal taxonomy and nomenclature of some clinically relevant fungi.