Distribution of the different species of the Pseudallescheria boydii/Scedosporium apiospermum complex in French patients with cystic fibrosis.

As various new sibling species within the Pseudallescheria boydii/Scedosporium apiospermum complex have been described recently with differences in their susceptibility to antifungals, this study was conducted in order to determine their respective frequency in cystic fibrosis. Results indicated that P. boydii largely predominated (62%), followed by S. apiospermum (24%), Scedosporium aurantiacum (10%) and Pseudallescheria minutispora (4%). Scedosporium dehoogii was not recovered in this study. The multiple correspondence factor analysis highlighted geographical discrepancies within species distribution: P. boydii was rarely encountered in Northern France, while S. apiospermum was less represented in the west of the country. Additionally, we demonstrated that all species encountered in the cystic fibrosis context were capable to chronically colonize the respiratory tract of patients. Molecular typing of a large set of environmental and clinical isolates should be conducted to delineate the epidemiology of each sibling species in the complex.