BRIEF NOTE 18s Ribosomal RNA Gene Sequence Characters Place the Pathogen Sporothrix schenckii in the Genus Ophiosto

BERBEE, M. L., AND TAYLOR, J. W. 1992. 18s ribosomal RNA gene sequence characters place the human pathogen Sporothrix schenckii in the genus Ophiostoma. Experimental Mycology 16, 87-91. Using the sequence of the gene for the 18s subunit of ribosomal RNA, we show that the asexual human pathogen Sporothrix schenckii lies phylogeneticaily within the sexual genus Ophiostoma. By distance or maximum parsimony criteria, S. schenckii, Ophiostoma stenoceras, and 0. ulmi (the Dutch elm disease fungus) are all related, but S. schenckii and 0. stenoceras are more closely related to each other than either is to 0. uimi. The 18s RNA gene sequences of S. schenckii and 0. stenoceras are identical except at three sites, and the two species group together in 99% of the trees generated using the statistical method of bootstrapping. This is the first time that DNA sequence data have been used to place an asexual fungus, phylogeneticahy and with statistical SUppOrt, in a sexual genus.