Timeline of mycology
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This is a timeline of mycology.
Sample questions
The following are some interesting questions that can be answered by reading this timeline:
- When and where was the first fungal disease proven to be caused by a microorganism, and how did this influence the germ theory of disease?
- Which Argentine scientists made foundational contributions to medical mycology, and in which diseases?
- What was the first antifungal agent safe for human use, who discovered it, and what did the discoverers do with the patent royalties?
- How did the HIV/AIDS epidemic transform the epidemiology and clinical significance of fungal infections?
- Which fungal disease was mistakenly classified as a protozoan infection on multiple independent occasions, and why?
- When did medical mycology become formally established as an international discipline, and who were its founding figures?
- What role did zoonotic transmission play in the history of sporotrichosis, and which outbreak best illustrates it?
- How has the geographic range of pathogenic fungi expanded over time, and what environmental and clinical factors have driven this expansion?
- When did antifungal resistance first emerge as a clinical problem, and which resistance mechanisms have proven most threatening?
- Which fungal pathogen emerged simultaneously on multiple continents in the 21st century, and why does this make it particularly dangerous?
- How did the COVID-19 pandemic interact with pre-existing risk factors to produce an unprecedented epidemic of a rare fungal infection?
- What was the significance of the 2022 WHO Fungal Priority Pathogens List, and which pathogens did it classify as critical priority?
- How has molecular biology changed the way fungi are identified and classified in clinical settings?
- Which South American country has contributed the most to the history of medical mycology, and through which diseases and researchers?
The following are some interesting questions that can be answered by reading this timeline:
Big picture
| Time period | Development summary | More details |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-19th century | Early observations without etiological understanding | Fungal diseases such as oral thrush and tinea are observed and named in antiquity, but their causes remain unknown. Ancient Greek physicians describe clinical manifestations compatible with candidiasis, and Roman physicians coin clinical terminology still in use today. No distinction is yet made between fungal, bacterial, or parasitic disease. |
| 1835–1870 | Founding of medical mycology as a discipline | The germ theory era begins with Agostino Bassi's 1835 demonstration that a fungus causes muscardine disease in silkworms — the first proof that a microorganism causes an infectious disease in animals. Within a decade, Schönlein, Remak, Gruby, Berg, and Malmsten establish fungal etiologies for favus, tinea, and thrush in humans. Medical mycology emerges as a recognisable discipline, though it is soon overshadowed by bacteriology. |
| 1870–1910 | Expansion of known fungal pathogens | A surge of discovery defines the major pathogenic fungal genera and diseases: Malassezia, Sporothrix, Cryptococcus, Madurella, Coccidioides, Histoplasma, and Paracoccidioides are all described in this period. Most are initially misclassified as protozoa before being reclassified as fungi. Clinical descriptions rely entirely on morphology and culture. |
| 1910–1950 | Consolidation of taxonomy and early diagnostics | Emmons standardises dermatophyte taxonomy; Sabouraud establishes the foundational culture media still bearing his name; Carter, Pinoy, and Carrión create clinical classification frameworks for mycetoma and chromoblastomycosis. Skin testing and complement fixation begin to be applied as diagnostic tools. Pablo Negroni plays a central role in establishing South American mycology. |
| 1950–1970 | First antifungal era and institutional development | The discovery of nystatin (1950) and amphotericin B (1955) provides the first effective therapies for systemic fungal infections. ISHAM is founded (1954), formalising medical mycology as an international discipline. Griseofulvin becomes available for dermatophyte infections. The first cases of mucormycosis and hyalohyphomycosis in immunocompromised patients are documented, anticipating the coming era of opportunistic infections. |
| 1970–1990 | The immunocompromised host and the azole revolution | The rise of transplant medicine, cancer chemotherapy, and the HIV/AIDS epidemic transforms medical mycology. Opportunistic infections caused by Candida, Aspergillus, Cryptococcus, Pneumocystis, and Histoplasma become major causes of morbidity and mortality. Ketoconazole (1978), fluconazole (1990), and itraconazole (1982) provide the first oral systemic antifungals. TMP-SMX prophylaxis dramatically reduces Pneumocystis mortality in HIV patients. |
| 1990–2010 | Molecular revolution and diagnostic advances | DNA sequencing and molecular phylogenetics reshape fungal taxonomy, revealing that many morphological species are in fact species complexes. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry (2004) revolutionises laboratory identification. Voriconazole (2002) and caspofungin (2001) provide new antifungal classes. Galactomannan detection enables earlier diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis. The first cases of azole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus are documented. |
| 2010–present | Emerging resistance, new pathogens, and global recognition | Candida auris (2009) emerges as a multidrug-resistant global threat. Environmentally-driven azole resistance in A. fumigatus spreads across continents. The COVID-19 pandemic triggers an unprecedented mucormycosis epidemic in India (2021). The WHO publishes the first Fungal Priority Pathogens List (2022), marking global institutional recognition of fungal infections as a major public health challenge. Novel antifungal agents enter clinical trials targeting mechanisms beyond existing drug classes. |
Full timeline
| Year | Event type | Fungal species | Disease | Details | Geographical location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c. 400 BCE | Research | Candida albicans | Oral candidiasis | Ancient Greek physician Hippocrates describes two cases of oral aphthae associated with severe underlying diseases in his work Epidemics, observations that modern mycologists identify as likely oral candidiasis. The association of the condition with debilitating illness anticipates the modern understanding of Candida as an opportunistic pathogen, a concept not formally established until the 19th century.[1] | Ancient Greece |
| Ancient times | Classification | Trichophyton, Microsporum, Epidermophyton | Tinea | Ancient Romans coin the term tinea (meaning bookworm) to describe the circular lesion produced by dermatophytic fungi on the skin and scalp. The term persists into modern clinical mycology as the standard designation for dermatophyte infections across body sites.[2]: [page] | Roman Empire |
| 1834 | Research | — | Favus | German anatomist Robert Remak analyzes a lesion known as favus under the microscope and observes multiple filaments, marking one of the first systematic scientific examinations of a dermatophyte infection. This work contributes to the emerging scientific study of dermatophytoses in the 19th century.[2]: [page] | Europe |
| 1835 | Discovery | Beauveria bassiana | — | Italian entomologist Agostino Bassi publishes Del mal del segno, demonstrating after 25 years of research that the muscardine disease devastating silkworm farms across Europe is caused by a microscopic parasitic fungus, later named Beauveria bassiana in his honour. This is the first demonstration that a microorganism causes an infectious disease in animals, predating the germ theory of Pasteur and Koch and directly inspiring Johann Lukas Schönlein's subsequent identification of the fungal origin of favus in humans.[3] | Italy |
| 1835 | Discovery | Candida | Candidiasis | Veron postulates intrauterine transmission and describes the first patient with esophageal candidiasis, representing one of the earliest clinical descriptions of the disease beyond oral manifestations. This observation anticipates the modern understanding of candidiasis as a systemic condition capable of affecting deep tissues and internal organs, a significance that would only become fully apparent in the 20th century with the rise of immunocompromised patient populations.[2]: [page] | International |
| 1839 | Discovery | Candida albicans | Candidiasis | Langenbeck isolates the causal microorganism from the mouth of a patient with aphthae, providing the first microbiological evidence of the candidiasis agent.[2]: [page] | Europe |
| 1839 | Discovery | — | Tinea favosa | Swiss physician Johann Lukas Schönlein identifies the fungus responsible for favus, establishing for the first time a fungal etiology for a human skin disease and laying groundwork for the field of medical mycology.[2]: [page] | Europe |
| 1841 | Discovery | — | Tinea | David Gruby publishes work on the fungal origin of tinea, describing the role of fungi in skin infections and advancing early mycological research.[2]: [page] | Europe |
| 1841 | Research | Candida albicans | Oral candidiasis | Berg demonstrates the fungal origin of oral lesions and reproduces the condition in healthy children, fulfilling an early form of Koch's postulates for candidiasis. By experimentally reproducing the infection, Berg provides the first causal proof linking a fungus to a human disease, a methodological advance that would influence the broader germ theory movement and set the standard for etiological proof in medical mycology throughout the 19th century.[2]: [page] | Europe |
| 1842 | Discovery | — | Mycetoma | J. McGill describes foot tumour for the first time in India, providing the first documented account of mycetoma. Godfrey subsequently registers the first documented descriptions of the condition between 1844 and 1845, and Eyre and Godfrey describe 40 treated patients between 1844 and 1848, establishing mycetoma as a new clinical entity characterised by progressive swelling with multiple fistulae and grains of varying colours and consistencies.[2]: [page] | India |
| 1842 | Research | Candida albicans | Candidiasis | Gruby describes the fungus before the Paris Academy of Sciences, identifies it as the true agent of thrush, postulates intrauterine transmission, and reports the first candidiasis — later classified by the same author in 1847 as Sporotrichum.[2]: [page] | France |
| 1845 | Discovery | Trichophyton | Dermatophytosis | Lebert identifies the fungus as a producer of chromoblastomycosis-like lesions; Malmsten describes a new genus Trichophyton, formalizing the taxonomy of dermatophytes.[2]: [page] | Europe |
| 1846 | Discovery | Malassezia furfur | Pityriasis versicolor | Eichstedt describes the fungus responsible for pityriasis versicolor, a superficial mycosis of worldwide distribution affecting the stratum corneum of the skin. The authors do not yet propose a formal designation for the etiological agent.[2]: [page] | Europe |
| 1846 | Research | Candida albicans | Candidiasis | Berg recognises debilitating diseases as the main predisposing factor for candidiasis, anticipating the modern concept of Candida as an opportunistic pathogen.[2]: [page] | Europe |
| 1847 | Discovery | Microsporum | Tinea capitis | A new fungal genus is established, later identified as Microsporum, expanding the taxonomic framework for dermatophytes.[2]: [page] | Europe |
| 1853 | Classification | Microsporum furfur | Tinea versicolor | Charles-Philipe Robin reclassifies the pityriasis versicolor agent as Microsporum furfur and describes the disease as a dermatophytosis similar to Microsporum audouinii.[2]: [page] | Europe |
| 1853 | Classification | Candida albicans | Candidiasis | Robin names the organism Oidium albicans and describes systemic candidiasis in debilitated patients.[2]: [page] | France |
| 1855 | Research | — | Mycetoma | Ballingali observes bone destruction in two clinical cases of mycetoma, documenting for the first time the osteoarticular involvement that characterises advanced disease. This finding establishes that mycetoma is not merely a superficial infection but a progressive destructive condition capable of invading bone, which would become a key criterion for staging disease severity and informing surgical versus medical treatment decisions in subsequent clinical practice.[2]: [page] | India |
| 1861 | Classification | — | Mycetoma | British surgeon Henry Vandyke Carter distinguishes mycetoma from other tumour types and introduces the term mycetoma, referring to the grains of the causal agent as fungus particles.[2]: [page] | India |
| 1861 | Discovery | Candida | Candidiasis | Zenker documents the first case of candidiasis in deep tissues, establishing that Candida can cause invasive infection beyond mucosal surfaces.[2]: [page] | Europe |
| 1874 | Discovery | Malassezia | Seborrheic dermatitis | Malassez describes yeast cells in a patient with dermatitis seborrheica and denominates the structures as spores. Bizzozero independently observes the same forms on skin and names the fungus Saccharomyces sphaerelris and Saccharomyces ovalis based on morphology.[2]: [page] | Europe |
| 1876 | Publication | — | Mucormycosis | Furbringer publishes the earliest reliable reports of mucormycosis, representing the first documented cases in which fungal presence in tissues is adequately demonstrated. Earlier 19th-century cases are considered doubtful due to lack of histological confirmation. This work establishes the methodological standard of tissue-based histological proof for fungal diagnosis, a principle that underpins all subsequent mycological pathology and remains central to the diagnosis of invasive fungal infections today.[2]: [page] | International |
| 1877 | Research | Candida albicans | Candidiasis | Grawitz describes the dimorphic character of the yeast. In the same year, Forbes studies the morphology of Candida albicans in London, examining a three-year-old girl with tongue and nail involvement that may correspond to the first case of mucocutaneous candidiasis.[2]: [page] | Europe |
| 1884 | Discovery | Mucor corymbifera | Mucormycosis | L. Lichtein isolates the mucorales from bread, studies the disease in rabbits and coins the names Mucor corymbifera and Mucor rhizopodiformis.[2]: [page] | International |
| 1885 | Discovery | Mucor corymbifer | Mucormycosis | Arnold Paltner describes the first case of disseminated rhinocerebral mucormycosis and without culturing the organism names it Mucor corymbifer.[2]: [page] | International |
| 1885 | Publication | — | — | German Sims Woodhead and Arthur Hare publish Pathological Mycology: An Enquiry into the Etiology of Infectious Diseases, one of the first British textbooks to systematically address fungi as causes of human infection. The work represents an early attempt to establish medical mycology as a distinct discipline, though the term mycology in this context is soon supplanted by bacteriology in subsequent textbooks.[3] | United Kingdom |
| 1886 | Classification | Mucor pusillus | Mucormycosis | W. Lindt describes Mucor pusillus and Mucor racemosus in humans and animals, expanding the known pathogenic mucorales.[2]: [page] | International |
| 1889 | Classification | Malassezia | — | Baillon creates the genus Malassezia, placing the organism within the Blastomycetes.[2]: [page] | Europe |
| 1891 | Discovery | Hortaea werneckii | Tinea nigra | Brazilian physician Alexandre Cerqueira describes tinea nigra in Salvador, Brazil, naming it queratomicosis nigricans palmaris. His son Castro Cequeira Pinto later popularizes the condition.[2]: [page] | Brazil |
| 1892 | Discovery | Coccidioides immitis | Coccidioidomycosis | Argentine medical student Alejandro Posadas and his mentor Wernicke describe the first case of coccidioidomycosis in Buenos Aires, in an Argentine soldier with widespread cutaneous and disseminated disease. They produce a detailed description of the clinical manifestations, histopathology, and tissue phase of the agent, and reproduce the disease in animals, but erroneously classify the organism as a protozoan of the genus Psorosperma.[4] | Argentina |
| 1894 | Discovery | Cryptococcus neoformans | Cryptococcosis | Sanfelice isolates an encapsulated yeast from fermented grape juice and demonstrates its pathogenicity by inoculating it into animals, naming it Saccharomyces neoformans. In the same year, the first human case of cryptococcosis is described by German pathologist Busse, who observes the yeast in a lesion on the tibia of a woman who later dies of disseminated disease; Busche subsequently isolates the fungus in culture.[2]: [page] | Italy, Germany |
| 1894 | Discovery | Madurella mycetomatis | Mycetoma | R. Boyce and N.E. Surveyor establish that, in addition to fungi, actinomycetes are also causative agents of mycetoma. In the same year, M.H. Vincent isolates Streptothrix (Actinomadura) madurae from a case in Algeria, and Laveran identifies black grains from a previously reported mycetoma case, naming the fungus Streptothrix (Madurella) mycetomati.[2]: [page] | Algeria |
| 1896 | Classification | Coccidioides immitis | Coccidioidomycosis | Rixford and Gilchrist formally describe the organism from the first North American cases in California, naming it Coccidioides immitis — Coccidioides meaning "resembling Coccidia" and immitis from the Latin for "harsh," reflecting the severe clinical course. The organism is still considered a protozoan at this stage.[4] | United States |
| c. 1898 | Discovery | Sporothrix schenckii | Sporotrichosis | Benjamin Schenck, a medical student in the United States, describes the first case of sporotrichosis presenting as the classic nodular lymphangitic form of the disease. Smith subsequently identifies and cultures the fungus, classifying it within the genus Sporothrix.[2]: [page] | United States |
| 1900 | Discovery | Sporothrix schenckii | Sporotrichosis | Hektoen and Perkins describe the second case of sporotrichosis in Chicago, Illinois — a boy who sustains a hammer blow injury to a finger and develops a lesion that resolves spontaneously, illustrating the traumatic inoculation route characteristic of the infection.[2]: [page] | United States |
| 1900 | Classification | Coccidioides immitis | Coccidioidomycosis | Ophüls and Moffitt demonstrate that Coccidioides immitis is a fungus rather than a protozoan, correcting the original classification and placing coccidioidomycosis firmly within the field of medical mycology.[4] | United States |
| 1901 | Classification | Cryptococcus neoformans | Cryptococcosis | Vuillemin considers Saccharomyces neoformans incorrectly classified within Saccharomyces based on its biochemical and morphological characteristics and its reproduction, and transfers it to the genus Cryptococcus.[2]: [page] | International |
| 1903 | Treatment | Sporothrix schenckii | Sporotrichosis | French dermatologist Raymond Sabouraud proposes the use of potassium iodide as a treatment for sporotrichosis, which is a common disease in France at the turn of the 20th century. Potassium iodide becomes a longstanding therapy for the infection, particularly in resource-limited settings.[2]: [page] | France |
| 1904 | Classification | Pityrosporum malassezii | Pityriasis versicolor | French dermatologist Raymond Sabouraud classifies the spores observed in pityriasis versicolor within Blastomycetes, names the fungus Pityrosporum malassez, and establishes it as the etiological agent of dandruff. Sabouraud also separates the filament-forming agent (Malassezia furfur) from the yeast forms (Pityrosporum malassezii), placing them in different genera.[2]: [page] | Europe |
| 1905 | Classification | Cryptococcus neoformans | Cryptococcal meningitis | Two cases of meningitis are described and the fungus is isolated; it is given the name Torula meninges and isolated from two additional meningitis cases under the name Torula histolytica.[2]: [page] | International |
| 1906 | Discovery | Histoplasma capsulatum | Histoplasmosis | American pathologist Samuel Taylor Darling describes histoplasmosis for the first time in the Panama Canal construction zone, performing an autopsy on a patient with hepatosplenomegaly and pulmonary damage — signs closely resembling systemic leishmaniasis. The following year he observes two new cases with histiocytes containing intracellular microorganisms and classifies them as a protozoan without blepharoplast.[2]: [page] | Panama |
| 1906 | Classification | Madurella mycetomatis | Mycetoma | Brumpt proposes the genus Madurella to classify the filamentous fungus isolated as Madurella mycetomatis, and suggests that Indiella species cause white-grain mycetomas.[2]: [page] | International |
| 1907 | Discovery | Sporothrix schenckii | Sporotrichosis | Lutz and Splendore describe the first case of natural sporotrichosis infection in rats in Brazil, establishing an animal reservoir for the disease and anticipating later recognition of zoonotic transmission routes.[2]: [page] | Brazil |
| 1908 | Discovery | Paracoccidioides brasiliensis | Paracoccidioidomycosis | Brazilian physician and naturalist Adolfo Lutz observes two patients with lesions on the left labial commissure and tongue base, describes the clinical and histopathological aspects, isolates the fungus in culture, and confirms its dimorphism. In his original description he erroneously identifies it as Coccidioides immitis; Lutz notes certain differences from C. immitis and considers it an intermediate form between C. immitis and Blastomyces dermatitidis.[2]: [page] | Brazil |
| 1908 | Research | Sporothrix schenckii | Sporotrichosis | Splendore reports the presence of asteroid bodies — yeast cells surrounded by radiating extensions — around Sporothrix cells, identifying a characteristic histopathological marker that becomes a useful diagnostic feature of sporotrichosis tissue specimens.[2]: [page] | Brazil |
| 1909 | Discovery | Pneumocystis jirovecii | Pneumocystis pneumonia | Chagas identifies the organism Pneumocystis in the lung of a guinea pig experimentally infected with Trypanosoma, initially believing it to be part of the trypanosome's life cycle rather than a separate organism.[2]: [page] | Brazil |
| 1910 | Treatment | — | Dermatophytosis | Griseofulvin is identified as a treatment for dermatophyte infections, later becoming a standard oral therapy for tinea.[2]: [page] | Europe |
| 1911 | Discovery | Monosporium apiospermum | Mycetoma | Saccardo isolates the white-grain mycetoma fungus and names it Monosporium apiospermum.[2]: [page] | International |
| 1911–1913 | Classification | Paracoccidioides brasiliensis | Paracoccidioidomycosis | Splendore differentiates the fungus from Coccidioides immitis and assigns it the name Zymonema brasiliensis, establishing it as a distinct species.[2]: [page] | Brazil |
| 1912 | Classification | Histoplasma capsulatum | Histoplasmosis | Henrique Da Rocha Lima reclassifies the etiological agent as a budding fungus, establishing its fungal rather than protozoan nature.[2]: [page] | Brazil |
| 1912 | Discovery | Pneumocystis jirovecii | Pneumocystis pneumonia | Van der Moer and Brug independently recognise Pneumocystis as a distinct organism separate from Trypanosoma.[2]: [page] | International |
| 1913 | Classification | — | Mycetoma | Pinoy proposes dividing mycetomas into two categories based on the characteristics of the etiological agent, establishing a classification framework that anticipates the modern distinction between eumycetoma and actinomycetoma.[2]: [page] | International |
| 1914 | Research | Paracoccidioides brasiliensis | Paracoccidioidomycosis | Pedro Días da Silva begins reporting findings of paracoccidioidomycosis from different parts of Brazil, and in 1918 collaborates with Souza Campos in publishing further work on the condition, expanding clinical and epidemiological knowledge of the disease.[2]: [page] | Brazil |
| 1916 | Research | Paracoccidioides brasiliensis | Paracoccidioidomycosis | Moses applies complement fixation as a diagnostic supplement for paracoccidioidomycosis. In the same year, Carini describes three suspected cases in Brazil.[2]: [page] | Brazil |
| 1921 | Classification | Cladosporium werneckii | Tinea nigra | Ramos e Silva publishes the first case report from Rio de Janeiro, and Parreiras Horta isolates the fungus and names it Cladosporium werneckii.[2]: [page] | Brazil |
| 1923 | Classification | Candida albicans | Candidiasis | Berkhout transfers the organism to the genus Candida, establishing the nomenclature still in use today.[2]: [page] | International |
| 1927 | Classification | Paracoccidioides brasiliensis | Paracoccidioidomycosis | Souza Campos and Almeida definitively separate the fungus from Coccidioides immitis and name it Paracoccidioides brasiliensis. In 1930, Fonseca Filho and A. Leão prepare antigen for cutaneous testing from culture filtrates.[2]: [page] | Brazil |
| 1931 | Discovery | Lacazia loboi | Lacaziosis | Jorge Lobo describes the first human case of lacaziosis in an indigenous person from the Amazonas region of Brazil. The patient presents keloid-like lesions without lymphangitis or systemic dissemination; Lobo considers the condition a variety of paracoccidioidomycosis and names it blastomicosis queloideana.[2]: [page] | Brazil |
| 1931 | Research | Paracoccidioides brasiliensis | Paracoccidioidomycosis | Argentine mycologist Pablo Negroni mentions four cases of the mycosis in his doctoral thesis, having confused it with C. immitis. He describes the in vitro conversion from the mycelial to the yeast phase, and in 1934 identifies the first case of paracoccidioidomycosis in Argentina.[2]: [page] | Argentina |
| 1933 | Research | Histoplasma capsulatum | Histoplasmosis | W. De Monbrum confirms the fungal nature of Histoplasma capsulatum in the United States by culturing the fungus from clinical materials and reproducing the disease in animals, corroborating Koch's postulates and confirming the dimorphic nature of the organism.[2]: [page] | United States |
| 1934 | Classification | Trichophyton, Microsporum, Epidermophyton | Dermatophytosis | Emmons revises dermatophyte classification, grouping them into three genera — Trichophyton, Microsporum, and Epidermophyton — using morphological and nutritional criteria. This taxonomy remains valid until the introduction of griseofulvin as a clinical reference point.[2]: 71 | United States |
| 1936 | Discovery | Fonsecaea | Chromoblastomycosis | Argentine mycologist Pablo Negroni studies the first Argentine case of chromoblastomycosis and proposes the genus Fonsecaea to classify the causative dematiaceous fungi.[2]: [page] | Argentina |
| 1936 | Research | Coccidioides immitis | Coccidioidomycosis | Ernest Dickson and his student Myrnie Gifford establish that the self-limited illness known as San Joaquin fever, Desert fever, or Valley fever — previously considered a separate entity — is in fact the primary form of coccidioidomycosis caused by C. immitis, unifying what had been seen as distinct clinical entities.[4] | United States |
| 1938 | Research | Lacazia loboi | Lacaziosis | Fialho reports a second patient from the Amazonas with tumoral lesions of the right ear pavilion, and concludes based on histopathological similarity that Lobo's disease differs from paracoccidioidomycosis, naming it enfermedad de Jorge Lobo.[2]: [page] | Brazil |
| 1938 | Publication | — | Paracoccidioidomycosis | Flavio Niño publishes a book dedicated to the study of paracoccidioidomycosis, representing one of the first monographs on the disease.[2]: [page] | Argentina |
| 1940 | Discovery | Histoplasma capsulatum | Histoplasmosis | Argentine mycologist Pablo Negroni diagnoses the first case of histoplasmosis in Argentina, expanding the known geographic distribution of the disease in South America.[2]: [page] | Argentina |
| 1940 | Treatment | Paracoccidioides brasiliensis | Paracoccidioidomycosis | O. Ribeiro introduces sulfa therapy for paracoccidioidomycosis; prior to this, cases are systematically fatal. In 1942, Conant and Howell observe that the fungus produces conidia in culture, previously considered a sterile organism.[2]: [page] | Brazil |
| 1940 | Research | Candida albicans | Candidiasis | The introduction of antibiotics leads to an abrupt increase in the incidence of practically all clinical forms of candidiasis, making Candida the fourth most frequently isolated microorganism in blood cultures of hospitalised patients.[2]: [page] | International |
| 1942 | Discovery | Pneumocystis jirovecii | Pneumocystis pneumonia | Van der Meer and Brug identify Pneumocystis in the lungs of children with plasma cell pneumonitis, representing the first confirmed human cases of the infection.[2]: [page] | International |
| 1943 | Research | — | Mucormycosis | J.E. Gregory, A. Golden, and collaborators report three cases of the rhinocerebral form of mucormycosis, drawing clinical attention to this manifestation of the disease.[2]: [page] | United States |
| 1944 | Research | Histoplasma capsulatum | Histoplasmosis | A. Christie and J.C. Paterson perform histoplasmin skin tests in persons with pulmonary calcifications and negative reactions to tuberculin, demonstrating the wide geographic distribution of the infection and revealing subclinical exposure in populations previously considered unaffected.[2]: [page] | United States |
| 1946 | Classification | Fonsecaea pedrosoi | Chromoblastomycosis | F.W. Simson isolates Fonsecaea pedrosoi var. cladosporium, and in 1954 A. Trejos renames it Cladosporium carrionii, reflecting ongoing taxonomic revision of chromoblastomycosis agents.[2]: [page] | International |
| 1948 | Research | Histoplasma capsulatum | Histoplasmosis | C.W. Emmons achieves the isolation of Histoplasma capsulatum from soil, establishing the saprophytic environmental reservoir of the fungus and explaining the inhalation route of primary infection.[2]: [page] | United States |
| 1949 | Classification | Cryptococcus neoformans | Cryptococcosis | Evans divides C. neoformans into three serotypes (A, B, and C) based on agglutination reactions due to the antigenic properties of its capsular polysaccharide, ending the previous treatment of the species as homogeneous.[2]: [page] | International |
| 1950 | Classification | Fonsecaea pedrosoi | Chromoblastomycosis | Carrión classifies chromoblastomycosis into the following clinical varieties: verrucous, nodular, plaque, tumoral, and cicatricial, providing a clinical framework still referenced in modern mycology.[2]: [page] | International |
| 1950 | Classification | Cryptococcus neoformans | Cryptococcosis | Benham proposes the name Cryptococcus neoformans, consolidating previous nomenclature and establishing the definitive genus and species designation still in use today.[2]: [page] | International |
| 1950 | Discovery | — | Candidiasis | American microbiologist Elizabeth Lee Hazen and biochemist Rachel Fuller Brown, researchers at the New York State Department of Health, announce the discovery of nystatin at the National Academy of Sciences — the first antifungal antibiotic safe for human use. Isolated from a soil bacterium (Streptomyces noursei) found on a dairy farm in Virginia, nystatin proves effective against Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans and receives FDA approval for clinical use in 1954. Brown and Hazen donate all $13 million in patent royalties to fund further biomedical research.[5] | United States |
| 1951 | Research | Pneumocystis jirovecii | Pneumocystis pneumonia | Vanek and Jirovec report Pneumocystis pneumonia in premature and malnourished infants, establishing that immunocompromised states in children constitute a major risk factor for the infection.[2]: [page] | Europe |
| 1952 | Discovery | Lacazia loboi | Lacaziosis | The first case of lacaziosis is described in Venezuela, expanding the known geographic range of the disease beyond Brazil.[2]: [page] | Venezuela |
| 1952 | Research | Aspergillus | Aspergillosis | Hinson and collaborators describe bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, and the importance of allergic forms of aspergillosis becomes recognised. This clinical form is found frequently in patients with leukaemia, lymphoma, malignant diseases, and transplant recipients of haematopoietic and renal cells, with increasing incidence driven by growing use of immunosuppressive chemotherapy.[2]: [page] | International |
| 1954 | Discovery | — | Chromoblastomycosis | Chromoblastomycosis is diagnosed in Finland in individuals who frequented sauna baths and in patients with scars from surgical instruments and leeches, documenting an unusual epidemiological context for the infection in a non-tropical setting.[2]: [page] | Finland |
| 1954 | Classification | Candida | Candidiasis | The VIII Botanical Congress officially accepts the genus Candida, consolidating the nomenclature proposed by Berkhout in 1923 and standardising the taxonomy of this clinically important genus.[2]: [page] | International |
| 1954 | Organization | — | — | The International Society for Human and Animal Mycology (ISHAM) is founded at the VII International Congress of Botany with 150 members, with American mycologist Libero Ajello as co-founder and first president. ISHAM becomes the leading international body representing professionals working with fungal diseases and pathogenic fungi, subsequently affiliating over thirty national medical mycology associations and becoming a recognized non-governmental affiliate of the World Health Organisation.[6] | International |
| 1955 | Treatment | — | Invasive fungal infection | Amphotericin B is developed, becoming the first antifungal agent and establishing itself as the gold standard for treating serious invasive fungal infections (IFI). Despite its efficacy, its significant toxicity profile drives the pharmaceutical industry to develop safer antifungal families in subsequent decades.[2]: [page] | United States |
| 1956 | Classification | — | Mucormycosis | Chester Emmons creates the term phycomycosis to include infections caused by fungi traditionally placed in the class Phycomycetes, encompassing infections produced by fungi of the orders Mucorales and Entomophthorales. The term continues to be used although taxonomists no longer accept it.[2]: [page] | United States |
| 1956 | Classification | Lacazia loboi | Lacaziosis | R. Ciferri and collaborators formally characterize the fungus, and two years later Borelli proposes the name lobomicosis for the disease.[2]: [page] | International |
| 1956 | Discovery | Talaromyces marneffei | Talaromycosis | Penicillium marneffei is isolated for the first time in Dalat, Vietnam, from the liver of a bamboo rat (Rhizomys sinensis), establishing the animal reservoir of the infection.[2]: [page] | Vietnam |
| 1957 | Research | — | Mucormycosis | R. Baker revives the term mucormycosis and compiles a decade of cases across 75 years, consolidating clinical knowledge of the disease.[2]: [page] | United States |
| 1957 | Research | Fusarium, Acremonium, Paecilomyces, Penicillium, Scopulariopsis, Beauveria, Trichoderma | Hyalohyphomycosis | Stefani and Allegra report the first fungal species in cancer patients, representing the earliest clinical description of hyalohyphomycosis as a disease entity in immunocompromised hosts.[2]: [page] | International |
| 1959 | Treatment | Paracoccidioides brasiliensis | Paracoccidioidomycosis | Laca and Sampaio introduce intravenous amphotericin B therapy for paracoccidioidomycosis, followed more recently by the successful use of azoles, significantly improving patient outcomes.[2]: [page] | Brazil |
| 1959 | Discovery | Talaromyces marneffei | Talaromycosis | Segretain, at the Institut Pasteur in Paris, identifies the microorganism and accidentally infects himself in a finger while attempting to inoculate a hamster, representing the first known human case of Penicillium marneffei infection.[2]: [page] | France |
| 1960 | Research | Pneumocystis jirovecii | Pneumocystis pneumonia | Pneumocystis is recognised as an opportunistic pathogen in children with acute leukaemia and immunodeficiencies, broadening understanding of the populations at risk beyond malnourished infants.[2]: [page] | International |
| 1960–1961 | Outbreak | Aspergillus | Aspergillosis | An epidemic decimating birds appears in England as a consequence of consumption of food contaminated by aflatoxins, establishing the pathological importance of Aspergillus-produced toxins in animals.[2]: [page] | United Kingdom |
| 1961 | Discovery | Blastomyces dermatitidis | Blastomycosis | The first isolation of B. dermatitidis from soil is achieved at a tobacco farm, establishing the environmental reservoir of the fungus. All subsequent isolations are associated with shaded, very humid locations.[2]: 192 | International |
| 1962 | Classification | — | Mucormycosis | Roberts reports the cutaneous modality of mucormycosis infections. In 1968, the terms mucormycosis for infections caused by Mucorales and entomophthoromycosis for those caused by Entomophthorales are proposed, providing a clearer etiological classification framework.[2]: [page] | International |
| 1965 | Publication | Aspergillus | — | Raper and Thom publish A Manual of Aspergilli, describing 18 groups, 132 species, and 18 varieties. Currently, molecular methods allow differentiation of pathologically important species within the section Fumigati, some of which show high minimum inhibitory concentration values against amphotericin B, voriconazole, and itraconazole.[2]: [page] | United States |
| 1966 | Discovery | Paracoccidioides brasiliensis | Paracoccidioidomycosis | Argentine mycologist Pablo Negroni isolates P. brasiliensis from soil in the Roque Sáenz Peña area of Chaco province, Argentina, establishing a definitive environmental reservoir for the fungus, which had previously been considered sterile in culture.[2]: [page] | Argentina |
| 1968 | Classification | Cryptococcus neoformans | Cryptococcosis | Wilson, Bennett, and Bailey identify the fourth serotype D and the hybrid AD of C. neoformans through agglutination and absorption studies with anti-cryptococcal sera, completing the four-serotype classification framework initiated by Evans in 1950.[2]: [page] | United States |
| 1969 | Classification | — | — | American ecologist Robert Whittaker proposes assigning fungi their own kingdom, separating them from plants and animals. This classification recognizes the unique heterotrophic, absorptive nutritional strategy of fungi and becomes the foundation for subsequent taxonomic frameworks, including the five-kingdom scheme later refined by Margulis and Schwartz in 1988.[2]: 38 | United States |
| 1970 | Classification | Exophiala werneckii | Tinea nigra | Von Arx, based on observation of conidial production from an anélide, reclassifies the fungus into the genus Exophiala as Exophiala werneckii.[2]: [page] | International |
| 1970 | Treatment | — | Chromoblastomycosis | González Ochoa reports the cure of chromoblastomycosis using high doses of 5-fluorocytosine, marking an important advance in antifungal therapy for this difficult-to-treat infection.[2]: [page] | Mexico |
| 1972 | Research | Blastomyces dermatitidis | Blastomycosis | An epidemic in Big Fork, Minnesota provides new knowledge about blastomycosis and the habitat of its causal agent, contributing to establishing the geographic distribution of the disease through autochthonous clinical case reporting.[2]: 192 | United States |
| 1973 | Discovery | Talaromyces marneffei | Talaromycosis | The first case of natural human infection is recorded in an American missionary with Hodgkin's disease who had visited Southeast Asia, establishing the clinical profile of penicilliosis in an immunocompromised host.[2]: [page] | United States |
| 1974 | Classification | — | Phaeohyphomycosis | L. Ajello coins the term phaeohyphomycosis to encompass diseases produced by different black fungi presenting in host tissues as dark yeasts, hyphae, or pseudohyphae — but not as sclerotic bodies or fumagoid cells characteristic of chromoblastomycosis. The term is accepted by the International Society for Human and Animal Mycology (ISHAM) and derives from the Greek phaios (dark), replacing earlier names such as micetoma, tinea nigra, and piedra negra.[2]: [page] | United States |
| 1975 | Research | Lacazia loboi | Lacaziosis | Over one hundred cases are documented, all originating from countries with tropical climates in Central and South America, consolidating lobomycosis as a disease of the American tropics. The term lobomicosis is preferred over blastomicosis queloideana as lesions are not always keloid-like.[2]: [page] | International |
| 1975 | Classification | Cryptococcus neoformans | Cryptococcosis | Kwon-Chung describes the complete life cycle of C. neoformans, naming the sexual phase of serotypes A and D Filobasidiella neoformans and the sexual phase of serotypes B and C F. bacillispora.[2]: [page] | International |
| 1976 | Discovery | Saksenaea vasiformis | Mucormycosis | Saksenaea vasiformis is isolated from a patient who received glucocorticoids following a traffic accident, adding a new species to the growing list of mucormycosis agents.[2]: [page] | International |
| 1978 | Treatment | Paracoccidioides brasiliensis | Paracoccidioidomycosis | Ketoconazole is introduced for the treatment of paracoccidioidomycosis, producing excellent results over one year of administration with a low relapse rate and good tolerability, representing a significant advance over amphotericin B.[2]: [page] | International |
| 1979 | Research | Aspergillus fumigatus | Aspergillosis | Reiss and Lehmann first describe the diagnostic value of serum galactomannan — a polysaccharide cell wall component released by Aspergillus during active growth — for the diagnosis of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, establishing the conceptual basis for non-culture-based antigen detection in fungal diagnostics. This approach would take over two decades to reach routine clinical application but represents a paradigm shift toward biomarker-based diagnosis of invasive fungal infections.[7] | International |
| 1980 | Research | Paracoccidioides brasiliensis | Paracoccidioidomycosis | Standard and Kaufman describe the immunological method for identifying the mycelial form of P. brasiliensis. Extraction of a soluble cell-free antigen (exoantigen) allows detection of specific precipitation bands by immunodiffusion, providing a reliable diagnostic tool for the disease.[2]: 187 | International |
| 1981 | Research | Pneumocystis jirovecii | Pneumocystis pneumonia | Pneumocystis pneumonia is recognised as the first opportunistic infection described in association with HIV, and is subsequently categorised as an AIDS-defining illness, dramatically raising the clinical profile of the infection worldwide.[2]: [page] | United States |
| 1982 | Treatment | Paracoccidioides brasiliensis | Paracoccidioidomycosis | Itraconazole is introduced and becomes the drug of choice for paracoccidioidomycosis, effective in approximately 95% of cases at doses of 100–300 mg/day for six months, with a low relapse rate and good general tolerability.[2]: [page] | International |
| 1984 | Classification | Hortaea werneckii | Tinea nigra | Nishimura and Miyaji propose the genus Hortae based on electron microscopy observations of conidiogenic sympodial cells and anélides. McGinnis et al. subsequently suggest the genus Phaeoannellomyces as an alternative, reflecting ongoing taxonomic debate over the correct placement of the tinea nigra agent.[2]: [page] | International |
| 1984 | Research | Blastomyces dermatitidis | Blastomycosis | An epidemic in Eagle River, Wisconsin further advances understanding of blastomycosis epidemiology and the environmental conditions associated with B. dermatitidis, consolidating the picture of the disease's distribution in the upper Midwest.[2]: 192 | United States |
| c. 1980 | Discovery | Malassezia sympodialis | — | Based on DNA-GC content hybridization studies conducted in the late 1980s, Malassezia sympodialis is defined as a new species within the genus, expanding understanding of intrageneric diversity.[2]: [page] | International |
| c. 1980s | Research | Talaromyces marneffei | Talaromycosis | A notable increase in human cases begins in the region from the second half of the 1980s, coinciding with the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Southeast Asia. The endemic area expands toward the Indian subcontinent, and penicilliosis becomes the third most serious AIDS-associated infection in Thailand, surpassed only by tuberculosis and cryptococcosis.[2]: [page] | Southeast Asia |
| 1988 | Classification | Pneumocystis jirovecii | Pneumocystis pneumonia | DNA analysis demonstrates that Pneumocystis is a fungus rather than a protozoan, shifting its nomenclature from the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature to the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature and opening the path to formal species-level renaming.[3][2]: [page] | International |
| 1989 | Treatment | Pneumocystis jirovecii | Pneumocystis pneumonia | The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) formally recommends trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) prophylaxis for HIV-infected patients with CD4 cell counts below 200/mm³, establishing the first evidence-based antifungal prophylaxis guideline for immunocompromised patients. A landmark 1992 randomised controlled trial by the Dutch AIDS Treatment Group subsequently confirms that daily TMP-SMX is more effective than monthly aerosolized pentamidine as primary prophylaxis, making TMP-SMX the standard of care and dramatically reducing Pneumocystis pneumonia mortality in the AIDS epidemic.[8] | United States, International |
| 1990 | Treatment | — | — | Fluconazole is introduced as a new-generation azole antifungal, offering broader spectrum coverage and an improved safety profile compared to earlier azoles such as ketoconazole. Over the following two decades it becomes one of the most widely used antifungals globally.[2]: [page] | International |
| 1990 | Research | Cryptococcus gattii | Cryptococcosis | Ellis and Pfeiffer identify the ecological niche of C. neoformans var. gattii as certain eucalyptus species, including Eucalyptus camaldulensis and E. tereticornis, explaining the geographic distribution of this variety.[2]: [page] | Australia |
| c. 1990 | Research | Malassezia | — | Molecular techniques, particularly sequencing of the rADN region, begin to be applied to Malassezia systematics from around 1990 onward, enabling significant advances in species-level identification within the genus and superseding ambiguous phenotypic tests such as catalase, β-glucosidase reactions, and lipid utilization profiles.[2]: [page] | International |
| 1992 | Treatment | Trichophyton, Epidermophyton | Dermatophytosis, Onychomycosis | Terbinafine, a synthetic allylamine antifungal developed by Sandoz Pharmaceuticals, receives FDA approval in topical form and subsequently as an oral agent in 1996, becoming the gold standard treatment for dermatophyte infections including onychomycosis. Unlike azoles, terbinafine acts early in the ergosterol biosynthesis pathway by selectively inhibiting squalene epoxidase, causing toxic accumulation of squalene and fungal cell death. Its high cure rates, favourable tolerability, and fungicidal mechanism make it the preferred oral treatment for nail dermatophytosis, capturing approximately 80% of the global onychomycosis market.[9] | United States |
| 1996 | Classification | Malassezia | — | Guého and collaborators revise the genus Malassezia using morphological, physiological, ultrastructural, and molecular biology techniques, expanding it to include seven species. The addition of molecular methods to fungal systematics elevates the number of recognized species in the genus, which currently reaches fourteen.[2]: [page] | International |
| 1998–2004 | Outbreak | Sporothrix schenckii | Sporotrichosis | The Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Rio de Janeiro diagnoses 1,503 cats, 64 dogs, and 756 human cases of sporotrichosis, representing the largest documented epidemic of zoonotic sporotrichosis transmitted via contact with domestic cats. Over 80% of feline and human cases have clear antecedents of contact with cats through bites and scratches; Sporothrix is isolated from cutaneous lesions in 100% of sick cats and from oral swabs in 66.2% of cases, establishing cat-to-human transmission as the dominant route in urban settings.[2]: [page] | Brazil |
| 1998 | Research | Aspergillus fumigatus | Aspergillosis | Azole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus strains bearing mutations in the cyp51A gene — including M220I isolated from a Swedish patient — begin to be documented in clinical settings, marking the emergence of acquired azole resistance in this major pathogen. These mutations arise in patients receiving long-term azole therapy, particularly for chronic pulmonary aspergillosis, and involve a growing range of substitutions at codons G54, G138, P216, M220, and G448.[10] | International |
| 1999 | Discovery | Lacazia loboi | Lacaziosis | Taborda and collaborators identify the fungus as the etiological agent of lacaziosis in dolphins off the coasts of Florida and Suriname, establishing a zoonotic reservoir and renaming the genus Lacazia in honor of Jorge Lobo.[2]: [page] | United States, Suriname |
| 1999 | Classification | Cryptococcus neoformans | Cryptococcosis | Franzot and collaborators describe a new variety for serotype A — C. neoformans var. grubii — and restrict the variety neoformans to serotype D isolates only.[2]: [page] | International |
| 1999 | Outbreak | Cryptococcus gattii | Cryptococcosis | An epidemic of cryptococcosis due to C. gattii affecting both animals and humans is described in the southwest of Canada and the east coast of Vancouver Island. Exhaustive environmental sampling detects the pathogen in tree hollows, soil detritus, and other materials, indicating that C. gattii can establish itself in temperate zones beyond its previously known tropical and subtropical range in Africa, Europe, Australia, and the Americas. Climate change and land use are proposed as explanatory factors for this geographic expansion.[2]: [page] | Canada, International |
| 2001 | Treatment | — | Invasive candidiasis, Aspergillosis | Caspofungin, developed by Merck Laboratories, receives FDA approval as the first member of the echinocandin class of antifungals — a new mechanism of action that inhibits β-1,3-D-glucan synthase, disrupting fungal cell wall biosynthesis. Unlike polyenes and azoles, echinocandins target a component absent in mammalian cells, offering improved safety profiles. Micafungin and anidulafungin follow in 2005 and 2006 respectively, establishing echinocandins as the preferred first-line treatment for invasive candidiasis.[11] | United States |
| 2002 | Classification | Pneumocystis jirovecii | Pneumocystis pneumonia | Stringer et al. publish a landmark paper in Emerging Infectious Diseases disseminating the name Pneumocystis jirovecii Frenkel 1999 for the human pathogen, replacing Pneumocystis carinii. The renaming honours Czech parasitologist Otto Jirovec and reflects molecular evidence that Pneumocystis organisms in different host species are genetically distinct, with each species being host-specific.[2]: [page] | International |
| 2002 | Treatment | — | Aspergillosis, Invasive candidiasis | Voriconazole, developed by Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, receives FDA and European approval as the first second-generation triazole antifungal. Structurally derived from fluconazole but with significantly broader spectrum, it demonstrates activity against Aspergillus species, Candida species including fluconazole-resistant strains, Fusarium, and Scedosporium. It becomes the standard of care for invasive aspergillosis and represents a major advance over first-generation azoles in treating serious mould infections.[12] | United States |
| 2003 | Research | Cryptococcus gattii | Cryptococcosis | The genome sequencing of C. gattii is completed, following its establishment as an independent species through molecular studies, enabling deeper understanding of its pathogenicity and epidemiology.[2]: [page] | International |
| 2003 | Research | Aspergillus | Aspergillosis | The FDA clears the Platelia Aspergillus EIA (Bio-Rad Laboratories), the first commercially available immunoenzymatic assay for detection of circulating galactomannan antigen in serum, for diagnostic use in invasive aspergillosis. The test can detect galactomannan 7–14 days before other diagnostic modalities become apparent, enabling preemptive antifungal therapy before life-threatening infection develops, and becomes a standard microbiological criterion in EORTC/MSG diagnostic guidelines for invasive fungal infections.[7] | United States |
| 2004 | Research | — | — | Commercial MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry platforms begin to be released for clinical microbiology identification, initially adapted to bacteria and subsequently extended to yeasts and filamentous fungi. By generating highly specific protein spectra that function as molecular barcodes, MALDI-TOF MS enables species-level identification of fungal pathogens within minutes — a dramatic reduction compared to traditional culture-based methods requiring days to weeks. The technology revolutionises clinical mycology laboratory practice, significantly reducing turnaround times and enabling identification of cryptic species complexes previously indistinguishable by morphology alone.[13] | International |
| 2006 | Classification | — | — | James et al. publish a landmark phylogenetic analysis of six genes from across the kingdom Fungi, producing major revisions in fungal systematics. The study advances the concept of phylogenetic species recognition, establishing evolutionary relationships among diverse fungal microorganisms and demonstrating that many species previously considered simple morphotypes are in fact species complexes, often distinguishable only at the molecular level — a finding with direct clinical implications for antifungal susceptibility.[2]: 39 | International |
| 2007 | Research | Aspergillus fumigatus | Aspergillosis | Mellado and collaborators identify a novel pan-azole resistance mechanism in A. fumigatus driven by a tandem repeat of 34 base pairs in the promoter of the cyp51A gene combined with the L98H substitution (TR34/L98H), later found to originate from environmental exposure to agricultural azole fungicides rather than from clinical azole use. This environmentally-driven resistance route, subsequently identified across Europe, Asia, and Africa in both environmental and clinical samples, represents a major new threat to antifungal therapy and demonstrates that agricultural fungicide use has direct consequences for human medicine.[10] | Netherlands |
| 2009 | Discovery | Candida auris | Candidiasis | Candida auris is first described after isolation from the external ear canal of a patient in Tokyo, Japan, representing a novel multidrug-resistant yeast species. Subsequent genomic analyses reveal that C. auris emerged simultaneously across multiple continents as five genetically distinct clades, suggesting independent emergence events rather than a single origin. Its resistance to multiple antifungal classes, ability to persist in healthcare environments, capacity to spread between patients, and tendency to be misidentified by routine laboratory methods make it a significant global public health threat. In 2016, the CDC issues a clinical alert to healthcare facilities worldwide warning of its international emergence.[14] | Japan, International |
| 2010 | Classification | Fonsecaea rubica | Chromoblastomycosis | Molecular biology methods describe Fonsecaea rubica, a new species morphologically similar to F. pedrosoi and F. monophora, further expanding the taxonomic complexity of chromoblastomycosis agents.[2]: [page] | International |
| 2021 | Outbreak | Rhizopus arrhizus | Mucormycosis | During the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in India, over 45,000 cases and 4,300 deaths from COVID-19-associated mucormycosis (CAM) are reported between April and July 2021, representing an unprecedented epidemic of the disease popularly known as "black fungus." The outbreak is driven by a convergence of factors including uncontrolled diabetes — present in 94% of cases — excessive and inappropriate corticosteroid use for COVID-19 treatment, and prolonged intensive care unit stays. India contributes approximately 71% of global CAM cases, and the Indian government declares mucormycosis a notifiable disease under the Epidemic Diseases Act of 1897. The epidemic highlights the role of immunosuppression as the dominant risk factor for mucormycosis and raises global awareness of the intersection between viral pandemics and invasive fungal infections.[15] | India |
| 2022 | Publication | — | — | The World Health Organization publishes the first-ever Fungal Priority Pathogens List (FPPL), cataloguing 19 fungal pathogens classified into critical, high, and medium priority groups based on mortality, antifungal resistance, annual incidence, global distribution, and unmet research and development needs. Critical priority pathogens include Cryptococcus neoformans, Candida auris, Aspergillus fumigatus, and Candida albicans. The list represents the first global systematic effort to prioritize fungal pathogens and drive research and public health responses, modelled on the WHO bacterial priority pathogen list published in 2017, and comes amid rising antifungal resistance and an expanding global immunocompromised population.[16] | International |
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The initial version of the timeline was written by Sebastian Sanchez.
Check Detail construction for full timeline in timelines, Inclusion criteria for full timeline in timelines, and Representativeness of events in timelines.
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What the timeline is still missing
- Page numbers: The majority of rows citing Landaburu & Mujica (2016) still contain
: [page]placeholders. These should be filled in by cross-referencing the physical book before the timeline is submitted for review.
- Single-source bias: A large portion of the timeline is based on a single Spanish-language textbook (Landaburu & Mujica 2016). While this source is authoritative for the Argentine and Latin American mycological tradition, it may underrepresent developments from Anglophone, European, and Asian mycology. Future enrichment should draw on sources such as Larone's Medically Important Fungi, Kwon-Chung & Bennett's Medical Mycology, and peer-reviewed journals including Medical Mycology, Journal of Fungi, and Mycoses.
- Antifungal resistance beyond Aspergillus: The timeline covers azole resistance in Aspergillus fumigatus (1998, 2007) and multidrug resistance in Candida auris (2009), but does not yet address fluconazole resistance in Candida glabrata and Candida krusei, or the emergence of echinocandin-resistant Candida strains in clinical settings.
- Dermatophyte terbinafine resistance: The recent global emergence of terbinafine-resistant Trichophyton indotineae, reported from the Indian subcontinent from around 2016 onward and subsequently in Europe and North America, represents a significant new clinical challenge not yet covered in the timeline.
- Molecular diagnostics beyond MALDI-TOF: PCR-based and next-generation sequencing (NGS) approaches for fungal diagnosis, including panfungal PCR and metagenomic sequencing, are absent from the timeline despite representing a major recent development in clinical mycology.
- Fungal infections and climate change: The expanding geographic range of endemic mycoses such as coccidioidomycosis and histoplasmosis in association with climate change is an emerging topic not yet represented.
- Antifungal drug pipeline: Novel antifungal agents currently in late-stage clinical trials — including olorofim (first-in-class dihydroorotate dehydrogenase inhibitor), ibrexafungerp, and rezafungin — are absent and warrant inclusion once approved.
- African histoplasmosis and less-covered endemic mycoses: Histoplasma capsulatum var. duboisii (African histoplasmosis), Lacazia loboi veterinary cases beyond dolphins, and Emmonsia species are underrepresented or absent.
- Veterinary mycology: With the exception of the Lacazia loboi dolphin cases (1999) and the Sporothrix cat-to-human epidemic (1998–2004), veterinary mycology is largely absent from the timeline.
Timeline update strategy
See also
External links
References
- ↑ Cannon, Richard D. (2022). "Oral Fungal Infections: Past, Present, and Future". Frontiers in Oral Health. 3: 838639. doi:10.3389/froh.2022.838639. PMID 35198999.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link) - ↑ 2.000 2.001 2.002 2.003 2.004 2.005 2.006 2.007 2.008 2.009 2.010 2.011 2.012 2.013 2.014 2.015 2.016 2.017 2.018 2.019 2.020 2.021 2.022 2.023 2.024 2.025 2.026 2.027 2.028 2.029 2.030 2.031 2.032 2.033 2.034 2.035 2.036 2.037 2.038 2.039 2.040 2.041 2.042 2.043 2.044 2.045 2.046 2.047 2.048 2.049 2.050 2.051 2.052 2.053 2.054 2.055 2.056 2.057 2.058 2.059 2.060 2.061 2.062 2.063 2.064 2.065 2.066 2.067 2.068 2.069 2.070 2.071 2.072 2.073 2.074 2.075 2.076 2.077 2.078 2.079 2.080 2.081 2.082 2.083 2.084 2.085 2.086 2.087 2.088 2.089 2.090 2.091 2.092 2.093 2.094 2.095 2.096 2.097 2.098 2.099 2.100 2.101 2.102 2.103 2.104 2.105 2.106 2.107 2.108 2.109 2.110 2.111 2.112 2.113 2.114 2.115 2.116 2.117 2.118 Landaburu, María Fernanda; Mujica, María Teresa (2016). Micología Médica: Una Visión Actual. Eudeba. p. 352. ISBN 9789502325422.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Homei, Aya; Worboys, Michael (2013). Fungal Disease in Britain and the United States 1850–2000: Mycoses and Modernity. Palgrave Macmillan.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Hirschmann, Jan V. (2007). "The Early History of Coccidioidomycosis: 1892–1945". Clinical Infectious Diseases. 44 (9): 1202–1207. doi:10.1086/513202.
- ↑ Science History Institute. "Elizabeth Lee Hazen and Rachel Fuller Brown". Retrieved 2026-06-14.
- ↑ "About ISHAM". International Society for Human and Animal Mycology. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Using the Galactomannan Assay in the Diagnosis of Invasive Aspergillosis". Patient Care Online. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
- ↑ Schneider, M.M. (1992). "A controlled trial of aerosolized pentamidine or trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole as primary prophylaxis against Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection". New England Journal of Medicine. 327 (26): 1836–1841. doi:10.1056/NEJM199212243272603. PMID 1360145.
- ↑ "Terbinafine". LiverTox, National Institutes of Health. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Verweij, Paul E. (2013). "Azole resistant Aspergillus fumigatus: an emerging problem". Médecine et Maladies Infectieuses. 43 (5): 195–205. doi:10.1016/j.medmal.2013.02.010. PMID 23562488.
- ↑ "Echinocandin antifungals". EBSCO Research Starters. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
- ↑ "Voriconazole: a broad-spectrum triazole for the treatment of invasive fungal infections". Retrieved 2026-06-14.
- ↑ Patel, Robin (2019). "A Moldy Application of MALDI: MALDI-ToF Mass Spectrometry for Fungal Identification". Journal of Fungi. 5 (1): 4. doi:10.3390/jof5010004. PMID 30609765.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link) - ↑ Forsberg, K. (2019). "Candida auris: The recent emergence of a multidrug-resistant fungal pathogen". Medical Mycology. 57 (1): 1–12. doi:10.1093/mmy/myy054.
- ↑ Divakar, Pradeep K. (2021). "Fungal Taxa Responsible for Mucormycosis/"Black Fungus" among COVID-19 Patients in India". Journal of Fungi. 7 (8): 641. doi:10.3390/jof7080641. PMID 34436180.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link) - ↑ "WHO releases first-ever list of health-threatening fungi". World Health Organization. 2022-10-25. Retrieved 2026-06-14.