Cunninghamella sp

Zygomycetes.

Cunninghamella species comprise a very small proportion of the fungal biota. This genus is most closely related to one spored mitosporangial zygomycetes such as Choanephora. Cunninghamella bertholletiae is known as an occasional opportunistic pathogen, mostly after trauma with thorns or splinters. No information is available regarding other inhalation health effects, or toxicity. Allergenicity has not been studied. Rarely found but may be identified on surfaces by tape lifts, tease mounts from bulk samples, and in air by culturable (Andersen) sampling. (Spores do not have distinctive morphology and would be categorized as "other colorless" on spore trap samples.) Cunninghamella species are mainly soil fungi of the Mediterranean and subtropical zones; they are only rarely isolated in other less temperate regions.