Data from: Polyphasic data support the splitting of Aspergillus candidus into two species; proposal of Aspergillus dobrogensis sp. nov.

Aspergillus candidus is a species frequently isolated from stored grain, food, indoor environments, soil and occasionally also from clinical material. Recent bioprospecting studies highlighted the potential of using A. candidus and its relatives in various industrial sectors as a result of their significant production of enzymes and bioactive compounds. A high genetic variability was observed among A. candidus isolates originating from various European countries and the USA, that were mostly isolated from indoor environments, caves and clinical material. The A. candidus sensu lato isolates were characterized by DNA sequencing of four genetic loci, and agreement between molecular species delimitation results, morphological characters and exometabolite spectra were studied. Classical phylogenetic methods (maximum likelihood, Bayesian inference) and species delimitation methods based on the multispecies coalescent model supported recognition of up to three species in A. candidus sensu lato. After evaluation of phenotypic data, a broader species concept was adopted, and only one new species, Aspergillus dobrogensis, was proposed. This species is represented by 22 strains originating from seven countries (ex-type strain CCF 4651T=NRRL 62821T=IBT 32697T=CBS 143370T) and its differentiation from A. candidus is relevant for bioprospecting studies because these species have different exometabolite profiles. Evaluation of the antifungal susceptibility of section Candidi members to six antifungals using the reference EUCAST method showed that all species have low minimum inhibitory concentrations for all tested antifungals. These results suggest applicability of a wide spectrum of antifungal agents for treatment of infections caused by species from section Candidi.

亮白曲霉（Aspergillus candidus）是一种常见分离菌种，可从储粮、食品、室内环境及土壤中分离得到，偶尔也可从临床样本中获取。近期的生物勘探研究凸显了亮白曲霉及其近缘类群在多类工业领域的应用潜力，这源于它们能够大量合成多种酶类与生物活性化合物。研究人员对采自多个欧洲国家及美国的亮白曲霉菌株展开分析，发现该类群存在较高的遗传多样性；这些菌株大多分离自室内环境、洞穴及临床样本。研究人员对广义亮白曲霉（Aspergillus candidus sensu lato）类群的菌株进行了4个基因座的DNA测序，并对分子物种界定结果、形态学特征与胞外代谢物谱之间的一致性开展了研究。经典系统发育分析方法包括最大似然法（maximum likelihood）与贝叶斯推断（Bayesian inference），以及基于多物种溯祖模型（multispecies coalescent model）的物种界定方法，均支持广义亮白曲霉类群可被划分为至多3个物种。在对表型数据进行评估后，研究人员采用了更宽泛的物种界定概念，最终仅提议建立1个新种——多布杰曲霉（Aspergillus dobrogensis）。该新种共涵盖来自7个国家的22株菌株，其模式菌株为CCF 4651T=NRRL 62821T=IBT 32697T=CBS 143370T；该新种与亮白曲霉的区分对生物勘探研究具有重要价值，因为二者的胞外代谢物谱存在显著差异。研究人员采用欧洲抗菌药物敏感性试验委员会（EUCAST）参考方法，检测了亮白曲霉组（section Candidi）成员对6种抗真菌药物的体外敏感性，结果显示所有受试物种对所有测试抗真菌药物的最低抑菌浓度均较低。上述结果表明，广谱抗真菌药物可用于治疗由亮白曲霉组物种引发的感染。