Pythium insidiosum
| Pythium insidiosum | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukarya |
| (unranked): | SAR |
| Superphylum: | Heterokonta |
| Class: | Oomycota |
| Order: | Pythiales |
| Family: | Pythiaceae |
| Genus: | Pythium |
| Species: | P. insidiosum |
| Binomial name | |
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Pythium insidiosum |
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Pythium insidiosum is a species of Pythium and a member of the class oomycota. Pythium insidiosum is mainly found in standing water and occasionally soil. Unlike most Pythium species, which are generally pathogens of terrestrial plants, Pythium insidiosum is a pathogen of mammals. It causes pythiosis, mainly in horses, dogs and humans. It is a rarely occurring, non-transmissible disease. Infection can occur in healthy mammals. The pathogen is well-adapted to mammalian body temperature, with an optimum temperature for growth of 34-36 °C.
The cells walls of Pythium insidiosum are composed of β-glucans (compared to the chitin walls of fungi), and their cytoplasmic membranes lack sterols.
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