Curvularia lunata
| Cochliobolus lunatus | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Phylum: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Dothideomycetes |
| Subclass: | Pleosporomycetidae |
| Order: | Pleosporales |
| Family: | Pleosporaceae |
| Genus: | Cochliobolus |
| Species: | C. lunatus |
| Binomial name | |
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Cochliobolus lunatus R.R. Nelson & Haasis, (1964) |
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| Synonyms | |
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Acrothecium lunatum Wakker, in Wakk. & Went., (1898) |
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Acrothecium lunatum Wakker, in Wakk. & Went., (1898)
Curvularia lunata (Wakker) Boedijn, (1933)
Curvularia lunata var. lunata (Wakker) Boedijn, (1933)
Pseudocochliobolus lunatus (R.R. Nelson & Haasis) Tsuda, Ueyama & Nishih., (1978)
Cochliobolus lunatus is a fungal plant pathogen that can cause disease in humans and other animals. The anamorph of this fungus is known as Curvularia lunata, while Cochliobolus lunatus denotes the teleomorph or sexual state. They are, however, the same biological entity. Cochliobolus lunatus is the most commonly reported species in clinical cases of reported Cochliobolus infection.
Macroscopic features of C. lunatus include brown to black colour, hairy, velvety or woolly texture, and loosely arranged and rapidly growing colonies on potato dextrose agar medium. Microscopically, there is great variety in the arrangement of the septate conidiophores, as they can be isolated or in groups, straight or bent, show simple or geniculate growth pattern, and varied in colour ranging from pale to dark brown. Conidiophore length can reach 650 μm and are often 5-9 μm wide, with swollen bases ranging from 10-15 μm in diameter. Conidia develop at the tips and sides of the spores and have a smooth texture. Cochliobolus lunatus is differentiated from other Cochliobolus species by its 3 septa and 4 cells, with the first and last cell usually of a paler shade of brown than those in the middle. Conidia range from 9-15 μm in diameter and have a curved appearance.
The order Pleosporales includes many plant pathogens of economic importance. C. lunatus belongs to Clade-II in the family Pleosporaceae, which is the largest family in its order. The Clk1 MAPK gene in C. lunatus is homologous to MAPK genes such as Pmk1, Cmk1, Chk1 and Ptk1 of other fungal pathogens, which are highly conserved in eukaryotic lineages. There are over 80 species in the genus Cochliobolus.
Cochliobolus lunatus has a widespread distribution, though it is especially prevalent in the tropics and subtropics. Infection is caused by airborne conidia and ascospores, however, sclerotioid C. lunatus can also survive in the soil. The optimal temperature for in vitro growth and infection ranges from 24-30 °C while death results from exposure at 59 °C for 1 minute duration, or 55 °C for 5 minute duration. Successful plant host infection requires the host surface to be wet for 13 hours. The majority of clinical cases have been reported in India, the United States, Brazil, Japan and Australia.
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