Analysis of Genes Coding for Small-Subunit rRNA Sequences in Studying Phylogenetics of Dematiaceous Fungal Pathogens

In their phylogenetic analysis of black yeasts using partial nuclear 18S rRNA gene sequences, Spatafora and coworkers (13) address the long-lasting debate (in medical mycology [4, 8]) concerning the taxonomic relationship of Exophiala man-sonii (Castellani) de Hoog and Exophiala dermatitidis (Kano) de Hoog (Wangiella dermatitidis (Kano) McGinnis [10]). In the taxonomic study of Schol-Schwarz (12) strains CBS 158.58 and CBS 207.35 were synonymized as Rhinocladiella mansonii (Castellani) Schol-Schwarz, withDictyotrichiella man-sonii Schol-Schwarz as the corresponding teleomorph. In his study of black yeasts, de Hoog (1) assigned these two strains to E. mansonii and E. dermatitidis, respectively. McGinnis (11) pointed out that the designation of CBS 158.58 as the neotype of E. mansonii was in conflict with the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature. Therefore, Iwatsu et al. (6) proposed the name Exophiala castellanii Iwatsu, Nishimura et Miyaji for the strain CBS 158.58. Then, in 1990 the new combinatio