Current Taxonomy and Nomenclature of Fungi

Abstract

Fungi are eukaryotic microorganisms that can cause a wide spectrum of clinical diseases in humans, ranging from superficial infections to severe, life-threatening systemic mycoses. Owing to their complex cellular organization, diverse life cycles, and distinct pathogenic mechanisms, fungi occupy a unique position within clinical microbiology. Medical mycology has evolved from early morphology-based classifications to a modern discipline shaped by molecular biology, phylogenetics, and standardized nomenclature. The increasing use of molecular diagnostic methods has profoundly altered the taxonomy of medically important fungi, enabling accurate genus- and species-level identification and improving the understanding of epidemiology, pathogenicity, and antifungal resistance patterns. The adoption of the “One Fungus, One Name” principle has eliminated dual nomenclature systems and contributed to greater consistency in fungal naming. In recent years, extensive taxonomic revisions have affected major groups of clinically relevant fungi, including yeasts, molds, dimorphic fungi, dematiaceous fungi, and Mucorales. These changes have direct implications for clinical diagnosis, laboratory reporting, epidemiological surveillance, and patient management. This review summarizes the historical development of medical mycology, outlines key principles of fungal nomenclature and taxonomy, and provides an updated overview of major taxonomic revisions among clinically important fungi, emphasizing the critical role of molecular approaches in contemporary fungal classification.

Keywords

• Medical mycology
• Fungal taxonomy
• fungi
• nomenclature

Mantarların Güncel Taksonomisi ve Nomenklatürü

Abstract

Mantarlar, insanlarda yüzeyel enfeksiyonlardan ağır ve yaşamı tehdit eden sistemik mikozlara kadar uzanan geniş bir klinik hastalık spektrumuna yol açabilen ökaryotik mikroorganizmalardır. Kompleks hücresel organizasyonları, çeşitli yaşam döngüleri ve kendine özgü patojenik mekanizmaları nedeniyle mantarlar, klinik mikrobiyoloji içerisinde özgün bir konuma sahiptir. Tıbbi mikoloji, erken dönemlerde morfolojiye dayalı sınıflandırmalardan günümüzde moleküler biyoloji, filogenetik analizler ve standartlaştırılmış nomenklatür ile şekillenen modern bir disipline evrilmiştir. Moleküler tanı yöntemlerinin giderek artan kullanımı, tıbbi açıdan önemli mantarların cins ve tür düzeyinde doğru tanımlanmasını mümkün kılmış; epidemiyoloji, patojenite ve antifungal direnç paternlerinin daha iyi anlaşılmasına önemli katkılar sağlamıştır. “Tek Mantar/Tek İsim” ilkesinin kabulü, çift adlandırma sistemlerini ortadan kaldırarak mantar nomenklatüründe tutarlılığı artırmıştır. Son yıllarda mayalar, küf mantarları, dimorfik mantarlar, dematiyöz mantarlar ve Mucorales gibi klinik açıdan önemli gruplarda kapsamlı taksonomik revizyonlar gerçekleştirilmiştir. Bu değişiklikler; klinik tanı, laboratuvar raporlaması, epidemiyolojik sürveyans ve hasta yönetimi açısından doğrudan klinik sonuçlar doğurmaktadır. Bu derleme, tıbbi mikolojinin tarihsel gelişimini özetlemekte, mantar nomenklatürü ve taksonomisinin temel ilkelerini ele almakta ve klinik açıdan önemli mantarlarda meydana gelen başlıca taksonomik değişikliklere güncel bir bakış sunarak, çağdaş mantar sınıflandırmasında moleküler yaklaşımların kritik rolünü vurgulamaktadır.

Keywords

• Tıbbi mikoloji
• Fungal taksonomi
• Fungus
• Nomenklatür

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