Fusarium oxysporum is a large complex cosmopolitan species composed of plant pathogens, human opportunistic pathogens, and nonpathogenic isolates. Many plant pathogenic strains are known based on host plant specificity and the large number of plant species attacked. F. oxysporum is an opportunistic pathogen in humans with a compromised immune system. The objectives of this study were: (1) to develop a specific marker to detect human opportunistic F. oxysporum (HOFo) isolates; (2) to determine whether or not HOFo isolates can colonize and cause disease symptoms in plants; and (3) to assess Taiwan isolates sensitivity to two agro-fungicides. The primer pair, Primer 5/ST33-R, specifically amplifying Taiwan and international reference HOFo isolates was developed and used to detect and assess the distribution of a Taiwan isolate in inoculated tomato plants and tomato and cucumber fruit. Taiwan HOFo isolate MCC2074 was shown to colonize tomato roots, hypocotyls, and cotyledons, but did not show any visible symptoms. Four days after surface inoculation of tomato and cucumber fruit with the same isolate, MCC2074 was detected in the pericarp and locular cavities of both tomato and cucumber fruit and in columella of tomato fruit. Three Taiwan HOFo isolates were found to be moderately sensitive to azoxystrobin and highly sensitive to difenconazole.

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IntroductionClonostachys, a genus with rich morphological and ecological diversity in Bionectriaceae, has a wide distribution among diverse habitats.Methods and ResultsIn the present study, a phylogenetic framework is reconstructed for the family Bionectriaceae focusing on Clonostachys through increased taxon-sampling using the nrLSU sequence. Through surveying Clonostachys in China, Vietnam, and Thailand over the past 3 years, seven Clonostachys spp. were found and identified. Two new species, C. chuyangsinensis and C. kunmingensis, are described and illustrated based on morphological characteristics and molecular data. The phylogenetic positions of the seven species were evaluated based on four genomic loci (ITS, nrLSU, TUB2, and TEF1).DiscussionMoreover, the genetic divergence comparisons of Clonostachys species for three markers (ITS, TUB2, and TEF1) are also provided. The results indicated that the TEF1 sequence data provided the best resolution for distinguishing species of Clonostachys, followed by sequence data for the TUB2 and ITS regions.

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Akanthomyces, a group of fungi with rich morphological and ecological diversity in Cordycipitaceae (Ascomycota, Hypocreales), has a wide distribution among diverse habitats. By surveying arthropod-pathogenic fungi in China and Southeast Asia over the last six years, nine Akanthomyces spp. were found and identified. Four of these were new species, and they were named A. kunmingensis and A. subaraneicola from China, A. laosensis from Laos, and A. pseudonoctuidarum from Thailand, and they were described and illustrated according to the morphological characteristics and molecular data. Akanthomyces araneogenus, which is isolated from spiders from different regions in China, Thailand, and Vietnam, is described as a newly recorded species from Thailand and Vietnam. The phylogenetic positions of the nine species were evaluated based on phylogenetic inferences according to five loci, namely, ITS, nrLSU, TEF, RPB1, and RPB2. In this study, we reviewed the research progress achieved for Akanthomyces regarding its taxonomy, species diversity, geographic distribution, and major host–substrate associations. The morphological characteristics of 35 species in Akanthomyces, including four novel species and 31 known taxa, were also compared.