Blastomyces

Blastomyces dermatitidis
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Ascomycota
Class:	Eurotiomycetes
Order:	Onygenales
Family:	Ajellomycetaceae
Genus:	Blastomyces Gilchrist & W.R. Stokes (1898)
Type species
Blastomyces dermatitidis Gilchrist & W.R. Stokes (1898)
Species
Blastomyces dermatitidis Blastomyces emzantsi Blastomyces gilchristii Blastomyces helicus Blastomyces parvus Blastomyces percusus Blastomyces silverae
Synonyms
Ajellomyces McDonough & A.L. Lewis (1968) Emmonsia Cif. & Montemart. (1959)

Blastomyces is a genus of fungi in the order Onygenales. Species are known human pathogens and show thermal dimorphism, converting from hyphal states under saprobic conditions to yeast-like states under pathogenic conditions. They are the causative agents of blastomycosis, a systemic mycosis in immunocompromised patients.^[1]^[2]

Blastomyces Gilchrist & W.R. Stokes (1898) was an illegitimate homonym of Blastomyces Costantin & Rolland (1888) (a synonym of Chrysosporium), but has now been conserved against the earlier name because of its widespread use in clinical literature.^[3] Teleomorphs (sexual states) were formerly referred to the genus Ajellomyces, but, following changes to the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants, the practice of giving different names to teleomorph and anamorph forms of the same fungus was discontinued.

References

^ Jiang Y, Dukik K, Munoz JF, Sigler L, Schwartz IS, Govender NP, Kenyon C, Feng P, van den Ende BG, Stielow JB, Stchigel AM, Lu H, de Hoog S (2018). "Phylogeny, ecology and taxonomy of systemic pathogens and their relatives in Ajellomycetaceae (Onygenales): Blastomyces, Emergomyces, Emmonsia, Emmonsiellopsis". Fungal Diversity. 90: 245–291. doi:10.1007/s13225-018-0403-y. hdl:10067/1520590151162165141. S2CID 256070801.
^ Linder KA, Kauffman CA, Miceli MH (2023). "Blastomycosis: A review of mycological and clinical aspects". J Fungi (Basel). 9 (1): 117. doi:10.3390/jof9010117. PMC 9863754. PMID 36675937.
^ de Hoog GS, Redhead SA, Feng P, Jiang Y, Dukik K, Sigler L (2016). "Proposals to conserve Blastomyces Gilchrist & W. R. Stokes against Blastomyces Costantin & Rolland and Ajellomycetaceae against Paracoccidioidaceae (Ascomycota: Onygenales)". Taxon. 65: 1167–1169. doi:10.12705/655.19.