Chrysosporium-Related Fungi and Reptiles: A Fatal Attraction

Its Clinical ImportanceThe anamorphic (asexual) genus Chrysosporium Corda includes mostly keratinophilic species that live on the remains of hair and feathers in soil.These fungi are rarely reported as animal pathogens, apart from in reptiles, and only a few species have been involved in mycoses.In a comprehensive review of opportunistic mycoses published by Smith [1], only one case of a Chrysosporium-incited cutaneous abscess in a snake was cited with no additional details provided.A few other cases have been published in a small range of animal species including C. pannicola (formerly C. evolceanui) from affected skin of a dog [2], a case of keratomycosis in a horse [3], a probable case of mycosis caused by C. tropicum in two breeds of chickens [4], and a disseminated infection in a dog [5] by a pair of Chrysosporium isolates not identified to the species level.Some species also occasionally infect humans with reports of C. keratinophilum and C. pannicola in skin and nail infections and some deep infections by C. zonatum [6].However, in recent years there has been a noticeable increase in mycoses caused by some Chrysosporium-related fungi in reptiles.These fungal pathogens are, however, unrelated to the chytrids (Phylum: Chytridiomycota), such as Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, which is causing the current catastrophic die-off of amphibians, i.e., chytridiomycosis in frogs [7].