Fonse caea pedrosoi [fon-se-se′ə pedro´soi]

Figure

Figure. Micrographs showing tissue and culture analyses of a fungal infection case described by Medlar in 1915. A) Section of 5-week-old colony. B) Muriform bodies inside a giant cell. C) Hyphae...

Chromoblastomycosis (CBM) is a neglected tropical disease caused by dematiaceous fungi, mainly Fonsecaea pedrosoi (Figure). This disease resembles blastomycosis in the Americas; the prefix indicates causative microorganisms’ pigmentation. In 1911, Pedroso observed histologic pathognomonic findings for CBM. He also observed rounded and brownish elements, now called muriform cells, in skin biopsy specimens from a patient in Goiás, Brazil. In 1915, Medlar described a similar cutaneous infection on the basis of culture and histologic analyses. In 1922, Brumpt reported Pedroso’s findings as Hormodendrum pedrosoi. Genus description referred to dendroidal conidial chains.

Subsequent publications classified this fungus into different genera (Botrytoides, Phialophora, Phidoconidiophora, and Trichosporium) on the basis of type of sporulation. Multiple forms of conidiation in dematiaceous fungi contributed to frequent genus changes. Terra et al. described this fungus as Acrotheca pedrosoi. In 1936, Negroni renamed this microorganism Fonsecaea pedrosoi because Hormodendrum and Acrotheca reproductive structures were recognized in samples. The genus was named in honor of Fonseca Filho, a Brazilian investigator who made notable contributions to dermatomycoses.

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