ABSTRACT
Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) is a mycotic disease caused by species of the genus Paracoccidioides, a group of thermally dimorphic fungi that grow in a mycelial form at room temperature and as budding yeasts when cultured at 37°C or in parasitism in the host tissues. PCM presents as two major clinical forms: the acute or sub-acute form and the chronic form. Sputum has a long and rich history as a source for searching for Paracoccidioides spp. yeast cells and remains an important sample for laboratorial diagnosis. Biopsy material should be divided for separate histological and cultural studies. The mold form of Paracoccidioides spp. may require growth for several weeks, and conversion to the yeast form is necessary for definitive identification, when multiply budding yeast cells are visualized. Rocha-Silva et al. developed and standardized real time polymerase chain reaction (rt-PCR), opening perspectives to molecular diagnosis development for paracoccidioidomycosis, since rt-PCR can be applied to a broad spectrum of infectious diseases.
