Talaromyces marneffei

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Talaromyces marneffei" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (September 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Talaromyces marneffei
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Ascomycota
Class:	Eurotiomycetes
Order:	Eurotiales
Family:	Trichocomaceae
Genus:	Talaromyces
Species:	T. marneffei
Binomial name
Talaromyces marneffei Segretain[citation needed]

Talaromyces marneffei, formerly called Penicillium marneffei,^[1] was identified in 1956.^[2] The organism is endemic to southeast Asia, where it is an important cause of opportunistic infections in those with HIV/AIDS-related immunodeficiency. Incidence of T. marneffei infections has increased due to a rise in HIV infection rates in the region.^[3][4]

When it was classified as a Penicillium, it was the only known thermally dimorphic species of that genus that caused a lethal systemic infection (talaromycosis), with fever and anaemia similar to disseminated cryptococcosis. This contrasted with related Penicillium species that are usually regarded as unimportant in terms of causing human disease.^{[citation needed]}