Discovery of a New Lichtheimia (Lichtheimiaceae, Mucorales) from Invertebrate Niche and Its Phylogenetic Status and Physiological Characteristics

Thuong T T Nguyen; André Luiz Cabral Monteiro de Azevedo Santiago; Paul M Kirk; Hyang Burm Lee

doi:10.3390/jof9030317

Discovery of a New Lichtheimia (Lichtheimiaceae, Mucorales) from Invertebrate Niche and Its Phylogenetic Status and Physiological Characteristics

J Fungi (Basel). 2023 Mar 3;9(3):317. doi: 10.3390/jof9030317.

Authors

Thuong T T Nguyen¹, André Luiz Cabral Monteiro de Azevedo Santiago², Paul M Kirk³, Hyang Burm Lee²

Affiliations

¹ Environmental Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Agricultural Biological Chemistry, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea.
² Departamento de Micologia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Av. da Engenharia, s/n, Recife 50740-4600, PE, Brazil.
³ Biodiversity Informatics and Spatial Analysis, Jodrell Laboratory, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Surrey TW9 3DS, UK.

Abstract

Species of Lichtheimia are important opportunistic fungal pathogens in the order Mucorales that are isolated from various sources such as soil, indoor air, food products, feces, and decaying vegetables. In recent years, species of Lichtheimia have become an emerging causative agent of invasive mucormycosis. In Europe and USA, Lichtheimia are the second and third most common causal fungus of mucormycosis, respectively. Thus, the aim of this study was to survey the diversity of species of Lichtheimia hidden in poorly studied hosts, such as invertebrates, in Korea. Eight Lichtheimia strains were isolated from invertebrate samples. Based on morphology, physiology, and phylogenetic analyses of ITS and LSU rDNA sequence data, the strains were identified as L. hyalospora, L. ornata, L. ramosa, and a novel species, L. koreana sp. nov. Lichtheimia koreana is characterized by a variable columellae, sporangiophores arising solitarily or up to three at one place from stolons, and slow growth on MEA and PDA at all temperatures tested. The new species grows best at 30 and 35 °C and has a maximum growth temperature of 40 °C. Detailed descriptions, illustrations, and a phylogenetic tree are provided.

Keywords: ITS rDNA; LSU rDNA; Lichtheimiaceae; Mucoromycota; morphology; taxonomy.

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education (2022R1I1A3068645) and also by the Ministry of Science and ICT (2022M3H9A1082984).