Differential distribution patterns of Fonsecaea agents of chromoblastomycosis, exemplified by the first case due to F. monophora from Argentina

Abstract

Chromoblastomycosis is a mutilating infection of the skin and subcutaneous tissues caused by melanized fungi belonging to the order Chaetothyriales. Proven cases of the main agent, Fonsecaea pedrosoi are mainly limited to (sub)tropical, humid climates of Latin and Central America and the Caribbean. Fonsecaea monophora has a global distribution along the equator. Cases outside the (sub)tropics have thus far mostly been considered to have been imported, but here we report the first endemic case by F. monophora from Argentina. Patient was a 82-year-old rural female worker from Corrientes, a province with a dry continental climate.

Verrucous plaque on the hand

“…Several published articles lacked detailed records about patients' residencies, resulting in difficulty in determining the environmental source of pathogens. According to epidemiological evidence, some researchers found that F. monophora had a broad distribution, implying its habitats were more varied [8]. Our patient never left northern China and was most likely infected locally.…”

Verruköse Plaque an der Hand

“…In mehreren veröffentlichten Artikeln fehlten detaillierte Aufzeichnungen über die Wohnorte der Patienten, was die Bestimmung der Erregerquelle erschwerte. Nach epidemiologischen Erkenntnissen stellten einige Forscher fest, dass F. monophora weit verbreitet ist, seine Lebensräume also vielfältig sind [8]. Unser Patient hat Nordchina nie verlassen und wurde höchstwahrscheinlich lokal infiziert.…”

Evolutionary Relationships, Phylogeographic Patterns, and a Hypothesis for Air- and Sea-driven Global Spread of Chromoblastomycosis by Etiological Fonsecaea Agents

“…Chromoblastomycosis caused by Fonsecaea spp. has been reported in countries including Argentina (Label et al, 2018), Venezuela (Paniz-mondol et al, 2008), Peru (Schwalb & Seas, 2020), China (Bao et al, 2018;You et al, 2019;Zhang et al, 2019;Shen et al, 2020;Chen et al, 2021), India (Varghese et al, 2016), the United States (Takei et al, 2007), Mexico (Carolina et al, 2015), Canada (Mourad & Haber, 2020), and Cuba (Badali et al, 2013). Molecular phylogenetic analyses have shown that several sibling species are involved.…”