P245 Arthrinium species, a filamentous ascomycetes isolated from samples of human cutaneous infections-report from a medical mycology laboratory of Assam, North-East India

POSTER SESSION 2, SEPTEMBER 22, 2022, 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM: OBJECTIVES: This study aims to report the isolation of closely related Arthrinium species from superficial skin lesions of five cases from a medical mycology laboratory of Assam, North East India. METHODS: The lesions were decontaminated with 70% ethanol and skin scrapings were collected on a sterilized glass plate. Direct mounts were prepared in 10%-20% KOH and cultures were put in Saboraud's Dextrose Agar with antibiotics, 5% sheep blood agar, and dermatophyte test medium (Himedia, India). Plates and tubes were incubated as per standard mycological techniques described. Molecular identification was done using ITS sequence analysis using ITS1 and ITS4 universal primers. RESULTS: Direct mount showed presence of hyphae with arthrospores in 3/5 cases. In one case, fungal hyphae was seen along with spore-like oval or round structures of about 3-4 μm diameter. Pure growth was seen after 7-14 days in multiple culture tubes in all five cases. Colonies were white, downy initially becoming white, and floccose on further incubation. Subculture on PDA in all the cases for 15-20 days revealed black, round, and oval spores of 3-5 μm suggesting Arthrinium spp. The taxonomical identification was done by constructing a phylogenetic tree of the ITS sequences of the Arthrinium isolates of this study along with reference Arthrinium strains and Seiridium phylicae as the outgroup taxa. The phylogenetic analysis clustered the isolates of this study into closely related Arthrinium species. CONCLUSION: The genus Arthrinium belonging to the family Apiosporaceae, class Sordariomycetes which comprises of a group of filamentous ascomycetes fungi is rarely reported from human infections. We are reporting closely related Arthrinium spp from five cases of skin lesions from Assam, North East India. Three of the 5 cases hailed from tea garden areas of Assam. Arthrinium isolation in clinically significant cases and in multiple tubes may not be disregarded as a contaminant.