Molecular diversity of Cladophialophora carrionii in patients with chromoblastomycosis in Venezuela

We identified 29 Cladophialophora carrionii isolates recovered from Venezuelan patients with chromoblastomycosis using phenotypic and molecular characteristics. The genetic diversity of isolates was assessed by enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus polymerase chain reaction (ERIC-PCR) fingerprinting. We detected four electrophoretic patterns divided into two main clusters (I and II) comprising 10 and 17 isolates, respectively, and two minor clusters (III and IV) with one isolate each. An interesting cluster-age-lesion type association was detected. The median age of patients in cluster I was 37.5 years and in cluster II, 55 years of age (P =0.04). The C. carrionii isolates found in cluster I were generally obtained from crusty lesions (60%) and isolates in cluster II were usually recovered from plaque type lesions (53%) even though the P values were only slightly less than significant (P =0.08). No associations were found among the genetic features strains in the two clusters and gender, occupation, geographic origin, lesion size, severity, and duration of the disease. There was also no correlation between antifungal susceptibilities and strain clustering. In conclusion, molecular typing using ERIC-PCR revealed a genomic heterogeneity in the C. carrionii clinical isolates studied.