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Melanized fungi are frequently considered as ubiquitous saprobes commonly found on decomposing plant debris, dead plant material, rotten wood, or soil. Over 70 genera and 150 species of dematiaceous fungi have been implicated in human and animal diseases. The clinical syndromes caused by latter fungi are differentiated based on histologic criteria into phaeohyphomycetoma, chromoblastomycosis, and phaeohyphomycosis. Phaeohyphomycosis is a term generally reserved for the remainder of clinical disorder due to black yeast like fungi and relatives. The most important clinical melanized fungi are in the order of Chaetothyriales, e.g. Cladophialophora spp, Exophiala spp, and Rhinocladiella spp. Standard conventional diagnostic procedures are direct microscopy, histopathological staining to document tissue invasion, radiographic and computerized tomography (CT) findings. Recently, assays have focused on non-culture based methods, especially nucleic acid-based methods, such as PCR assays. Most of the invasive infections due to dematiaceous fungi are treated by triazole antifungals, e.g. voriconazole, itraconazole and posaconazole which demonstrated the highest in vitro activity against dematiaceous fungi.

Keywords: Phaeohyphomycosis, melanized fungi, black yeast, antifungal therapy

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