Species identification and antifungal susceptibility patterns of species belonging to Aspergillus section Nigri.

A phylogenetic analysis was performed for 34 Aspergillus strains belonging to section Nigri. Molecular methods allowed for the correct classification into three different clades (A. niger, A. tubingensis, and A. foetidus). Correlation with in vitro itraconazole susceptibility distinguished the following three profiles: susceptible, resistant, and showing a paradoxical effect. A number of different species whose morphological features resemble those of A. niger showed unusual MICs to itraconazole that have never been described for the Aspergillus genus.