Emmonsia
| Emmonsia | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Eurotiomycetes |
| Order: | Onygenales |
| Family: | Ajellomycetaceae |
| Genus: | Emmonsia Cif. & Montemart. |
| Species | |
|
See text | |
Emmonsia is a genus of soil fungus that can cause adiaspiromycosis, a pulmonary disease common in wild animals (but rare in humans) as well as disseminated disease.[1]
Description
When aerosolized spores are inhaled, they enlarge dramatically, from 2–4 μm to 40–500 μm in diameter.[1]
Etymology
Emmonsia was first described by Chester W. Emmons, senior mycologist with the US Public Health Service, as Haplosporangium parvum in 1942. In 1958, it was reclassified into a separate genus and named in honor of Emmons. Because these swollen cells do not replicate, Emmons and Jellison termed them “adiaspores” (from the Greek a (not) + dia (by) + spora (sowing)). As of 2017, phylogenetic analyses have concluded that fungi in this genus are polyphyletic, and proposed taxonomic changes may render the genus name obsolete.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 Henry, Ronnie (February 2017). "Etymologia: Emmonsia". Emerg Infect Dis. 23 (2): 348. doi:10.3201/eid2302.ET2302.