Arthrographis spp

The genus Arthrographis is from the phylum Ascomycota. It is a prevalent mold that exists in a global scale. Arthrographis can best be described as filamentous although the colony starts off as flat and smooth. Upon maturation, the texture becomes velvet-like or even powdery.

There are five known species under the genus Arthrographis. These are Arthrographis kalrae, Arthrographis cuboidea, Arthrographis lignicola, Arthrographis pinnicola and lastly Arthrographis alba.

For Arthrographis Kalrae, its teleomorph is referred to as Eremomyces langeronii and is also the synonym for A. kalrae. Other obsolete synonyms for A. kalrae are Arthrographis langeronii and Oidiodendron kalrae. The obsolete synonyms for Arthrographis cuboidea are Briosia microspore, Coremiella cuboidea and Geotrichum cuboideum.

Among the five species, a colony of A. cuboidea is known to grow fast up to about 9 centimeters especially at temperatures of 25°C. Its arthroconidia is shaped like cubes. The other species have varied growth rates from moderately fast to slow, with some species reaching just around 1centimeter in 7 days. You can differentiate A. lignicola by its broad and yellow arthroconidia. Meanwhile, A. pinnicola can be identified by its sensitivity to cycloheximide and A. alba is known to fail to reproduce when temperatures reach 37°C.

The various Arthrographis species are commonly found in soil. They may also be collected from compost and environmental waste. Certain species of Arthrographis, particularly Arthrographis cuboidea are resident in hardwood such as oak.

The genus also exhibit keratinolytic activity. This means that Arthrographis are able to live off hair, nails, feathers and similar keratin-based organic structures of birds and mammals. It also follows that humans can be affected by fungal invasion of Arthrographis variants, specifically by Arthrographis Kalrae.

Arthrographis Kalrae is a moniliaceous (pale colored) anamorphic fungus that bears some significance in human pathogenesis. This is due to the fact that A. Kalrae is a known agent of several human diseases. It is a source of mycetoma, a chronic granulomatous skin disease that can also extend down to subcutaneous tissues, muscles and even bone. In severe infections, mycetoma may even affect the patient's tendons and nerves.

Another disease attributed to A. Kalrae is fungal sinusitis and fungal meningitis. These invasive conditions could prove fatal to patients with compromised immune systems such as those suffering from HIV/AIDS.

Other conditions involving A. Kalrae include a form of onychomycosis (ringworm of the nails), fatal-stroke syndrome and post-traumatic fungal panophthalmitis - an acute infection of the eye. There is even a reported case of photophobia, or hypersensitivity of the eyes to light, from an infected contact lens wearing patient.

Some of these diseases induced by Arthrographis Kalrae may be treated with the anti-fungal drug itraconazole, which can be administered orally or intravenously. Keeping the environment clean and free from strains of Arthrographis is equally essential to the resolution and eradication of such fungi-based diseases.