The Westmead Medical Mycology Collection: basis for research and diagnosis of fungal diseases
Wieland Meyer A C , Krystyna Maszewska A , Aziza Khan A and Kennio Ferreira-Paim A BA Molecular Mycology Research Laboratory, Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, Sydney Medical School – Westmead Hospital, Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, The University of Sydney, Westmead Millennium Institute for Medical Research, Sydney, Australia
B Infectious Disease Department, Triangulo Mineiro Federal University, Uberaba, Minas Gerais, Brazil
C Corresponding author. Tel: +61 2 8627 3430, Fax: +61 2 9891 5317, Email: wieland.meyer@sydney.edu.au
Microbiology Australia 36(2) 60-63 https://doi.org/10.1071/MA15021
Published: 17 March 2015
Abstract
The Westmead Medical Mycology Collection is completing 20 years of existence. During this time there have been 10,073 strains deposited representing 437 species, which are currently maintained in the collection. Established originally under the curation of Professor Wieland Meyer at the Molecular Mycology Research Laboratory, in the Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology at the Sydney Medical School – Westmead Hospital, The University of Sydney, it recently moved to the new Westmead Millennium Institute for Medical Research in Westmead, Australia. Its primary aim is to preserve Australian human and animal pathogenic fungal biodiversity while providing reference and clinical strains for the mycology community. The stored strains are identified phenotypically, biochemically and molecularly. They are stored either lyophilised, in glycerol at -80°C or as living culture at 14°C. The majority of the stored strains are the result of specific clinical, molecular epidemiological and basic science projects. As such, the pathogenic yeasts Cryptococcus neoformans and C. gattii account for 54% of the specimens deposited. To further characterise the maintained strains specific MultiLocus Sequence Typing schemes have been developed for C. neoformans, C. gattii, Scedosporium apiospermum, S. aurantiacum, S. boydii and Pneumocystis jirovecii, which are publically accessible at http://mlst.mycologylab.org. The collection also formed the basis for the development of the quality controlled ISHAM-ITS sequence database for human and animal pathogenic fungi accessible at http://its.mycologylab.org.
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