Biological and genomic analyses of , a novel potential fungal pathogen closely related to (syn. ) and .

Several human fungal pathogens, including drug-resistant and species of the complex, have emerged over the past two decades, posing new threats to human health. In this study, we report the isolation and identification of a novel species belonging to the genus , herein named as , from a clinical sputum sample of a COVID-19 patient. is phylogenetically closely related to fungal pathogens (syn. ) and . When grown on CHROMagar Plus medium, exhibited a similar coloration to strain CBS12372. was able to develop weak filaments on CM medium. Although and are phylogenetically closely related, comparative genomic and synteny analyses indicated significant chromosomal rearrangements between the two species. Although could not grow at 37 °C under regular culture condition, an increased fungal burden in the lung tissue of a mouse systemic infection model implies that it could be a potential opportunistic pathogenic yeast in humans.