Objective: To study the populations of Exophiala jeanselmei strains from diverse sources using rDNA sequences.
Methods: Tested strains included 20 isolates of Exophiala jeanselmei (type culture, reference culture, clinical and environmental isolates), 8 isolates of E. moniliae, 1 isolate of Exophiala werneckii, respectively. DNA was isolated with boiled-iced water method. Ribosomal DNA and its internal transcribed spacer regions were amplified and analyzed with sequencing.
Results: The ribosomal genes of E. jeanselmei varied greatly. Twenty strains of this species were divided into 7 types. The genetic distances of some strains in this species were quite long.
Conclusion: The ribosomal RNA genes and their internal transcript sequences vary more widely than those of the other species in this genus.