DESCRIPTIONS OF MEDICAL FUNGI

Descriptions of Medical Fungi 25
Aspergillus terreus complex
Aspergillus section Terrei (Gams et al. 1985); Aspergillus terreus complex includes
species with biseriate, columnar conidial heads in shades of buff to brown (Raper
and Fennell 1965). The most important species of this section is A. terreus, which is
ubiquitous in the environment (Samson et al. 2011). Two other species have been
reported as medical pathogens, A. alabamensis and A. niveus.
Molecular Identification: A. terreus can be distinguished from other members of
the section Terrei by sequence analysis of β-tubulin, calmodulin and actin genes. ITS
sequencing is sufficient to identify to species complex level only.
Aspergillus terreus Thom
Aspergillus terreus occurs commonly in soil and is occasionally reported as a pathogen
of humans and animals.
RG-2 organism.
Morphological Identification: On Czapek Dox agar, colonies are typically suedelike
and cinnamon-buff to sand-brown in colour with a yellow to deep dirty brown
reverse. Conidial heads are compact, columnar (up to 500 x 30-50 µm in diameter)
and biseriate. Metulae are as long as the phialides. Conidiophore stipes are hyaline
and smooth-walled. Conidia are globose to ellipsoidal (1.5-2.5 µm in diameter), hyaline
to slightly yellow and smooth-walled.
Key Features: Cinnamon-brown cultures, conidial heads biseriate with metulae as
long as the phialides.
References: Raper and Fennell (1965), Domsch et al. (1980), McGinnis (1980),
Onions et al. (1981), Samson and Pitt (1990), Samson et al. (1995), de Hoog et al.
(2000) and Klich (2002).
Antifungal Susceptibility: A. terreus (Australian National data); MIC µg/mL.
No 16
AmB 72 1 3 11 29 24 3 1
VORI 69 4 13 32 16 1 2 1
POSA 59 1 10 8 23 13 2 2
ITRA 72 4 3 9 17 35 4