The term "phaeohyphomycosis" was introduced to determine infections caused by dematiaceous (pigmented) filamentous fungi which contain melanin in their cell walls.[11] Phaeohyphomycosis is an uncommon infection, but the number of cases reported has been increasing in recent years. Fungal melanin is thought to be a virulence factor. The outcome of antifungal treatment is poor, and mortality is almost 80%.[12] Phaeohyphomycosis has been attributed to more than 100 species and 60 genera of fungi over the past several decades. The pathogens are considered opportunistic. Almost all cases of widely disseminated infection have occurred in immunosuppressed people.[12]
^James, William D.; Berger, Timothy G.; et al. (2006). Andrews' Diseases of the Skin: clinical Dermatology. Saunders Elsevier. p. 324. ISBN978-0-7216-2921-6.
^Umemoto N, Demitsu T, Kakurai M, et al. (October 2009). "Two cases of cutaneous phaeohyphomycosis due to Exophiala jeanselmei: diagnostic significance of direct microscopical examination of the purulent discharge". Clin. Exp. Dermatol. 34 (7): e351–3. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2230.2009.03304.x. PMID19456770. S2CID40160899.