Molecular Tools for Detection and Identification of Species: Current Status and Future Perspectives.

Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) is a mycotic disease caused by the species, a group of thermally dimorphic fungi that grow in mycelial form at 25 °C and as budding yeasts when cultured at 37 °C or when parasitizing the host tissues. PCM occurs in a large area of Latin America, and the most critical regions of endemicity are in Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela. The clinical diagnosis of PCM needs to be confirmed through laboratory tests. Although classical laboratory techniques provide valuable information due to the presence of pathognomonic forms of spp., nucleic acid-based diagnostics gradually are replacing or complementing culture-based, biochemical, and immunological assays in routine microbiology laboratory practice. Recently, taxonomic changes driven by whole-genomic sequencing of have highlighted the need to recognize species boundaries, which could better ascertain taxonomy. In this scenario, classical laboratory techniques do not have significant discriminatory power over cryptic agents. On the other hand, several PCR-based methods can detect polymorphisms in DNA and thus support species identification. This review is focused on the recent achievements in molecular diagnostics of paracoccidioidomycosis, including the main advantages and pitfalls related to each technique. We discuss these breakthroughs in light of taxonomic changes in the genus.