''Paracoccidioides lutzii'' is a

dimorphic fungus Dimorphic fungi are fungi that can exist in the form of both mold and yeast. This is usually brought about by change in temperature and the fungi are also described as thermally dimorphic fungi. An example is ''Talaromyces marneffei'', a human ...

that is one of the causal agents of

paracoccidioidomycosis Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM), also known as South American blastomycosis, is a fungal infection that can occur as a mouth and skin type, lymphangitic type, multi-organ involvement type (particularly lungs), or mixed type. If there are mouth ulcer ...

, together with ''

Paracoccidioides brasiliensis ''Paracoccidioides brasiliensis'' is a dimorphic fungus and one of the two species that cause paracoccidioidomycosis (the other being ''Paracoccidioides lutzii).'' The fungus has been affiliated with the family Ajellomycetaceae (division Ascomyco ...

''. Unlike ''P. brasiliensis,'' which is found throughout Central and South America, ''P. lutzii'' is found only in Brazil and Ecuador. It is less virulent than ''P. brasiliensis.''

History

''Paracoccidioides'' species were discovered by Adolfo Lutz in 1908 in Brazil. ''P. lutzii'' was formerly classified "PB-01 like", and proposed as a new species in 2014, being discovered in the Central-West region of Brazil. The infection it causes is considered to be a neglected endemic mycosis, a type of

neglected tropical disease Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a diverse group of tropical disease, tropical infections that are common in low-income populations in Developing country, developing regions of Africa, Asia, and the Americas. They are caused by a variety ...

Ecology

''P. lutzii'' occurs in nature as a filamentous structure. It forms

conidia A conidium ( ; ), sometimes termed an asexual chlamydospore or chlamydoconidium (), is an asexual, non-motile spore of a fungus. The word ''conidium'' comes from the Ancient Greek word for dust, ('). They are also called mitospores due to the ...

as part of its life cycle, which cause infection when inhaled into the respiratory tract of humans.

Epidemiology

Little is known about the epidemiology of the new species, as most previous epidemiological reports have focused on ''P. brasiliensis''. Infection with the ''Paracoccidioides'' species, known as paracoccidioidomycosis, may be asymptomatic and subclinical, or may form into either acute/subacute (juvenile) or chronic (adult) forms of the disease. ''P. lutzii'' has less adhesion to lung cells than ''P. brasilensis'', potentially explaining its decreased virulence. It is predominantly distributed in the Central west and Amazon regions of Brazil and Ecuador. Social and environmental changes, including increased agriculturalization, deforestation in Brazil, expansion of settlements and coffee agriculture could explain the increased incidence of ''Paracoccidioidies,'' especially in the

Rondônia Rondônia () is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the northern subdivision of the country (central-western part). To the west is a short border with the state of Acre, to the north is the state of Amazonas, in the east is Mato Grosso, ...

state of Brazil.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q65048682 Fungi of South America Onygenales