Systematics of fungi in the human environment

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My work in fungal systematics has a focus on microfungi important as human and animal pathogens, as elicitors of allergy and hypersensitivity, as endophytes and symbionts of many plants, and as decay agents in the environment. With advances in medicine that have improved life expectancy of severely ill patients, we have seen a rise in both in numbers of infections caused by molds and in the diversity of fungi involved. The identity of the infectious agent is key to accessing the literature and assessing therapeutic options. The taxonomy of some medically important fungi is still poorly resolved, and much of our work has a focus on developing reliable species and generic concepts with a practical goal of improving the ability to diagnose fungal infection. A long-term focus has been on members of the order Ongyenales, encompassing the vertebrate associated systemic pathogens, dermatophytes and their soil associated relatives. Objectives are to delineate life histories of species, i.e. to connect asexual species to their sexual relatives, using data obtained from classical observational methods, mating experiments and DNA-based analyses. Two recent major compilations on the ecology, biology and systematics of  the Onygenales demonstrated a surprising amount of disagreement in family, genus and species concepts and a lack of consensus on nomenclature, thus bringing attention to the difficulties in working with these fungi and areas in need of further research. My main area of interest continues to be on the asexual stages (anamorphs), including Chrysosporium, Malbranchea, Emmonsia, Geomyces and other fungi producing solitary aleurioconidia or arthroconidia. Affinities of Chrysosporium and Malbranchea are mainly within the Onygenales, but these genera today include a diversity of species brought together by the form of their conidia. Linking asexual fungi to their sexual relatives is an important step in any attempt to make these genera more reflective of evolutionary origins. This study emphasizes the induction of sexual stages in culture and the placement of members of these genera within a phylogenetic context with a view to assessing the taxonomic value of morphological characters.