Results: For Aspergillus, 56% and 67% of the isolates were identified to the species level by
using ITS and ß-tubulin analysis, respectively. Only D1/D2 analysis was useful for Trichophyton
identification, with 100% of isolates being identified to the species level. Performances
of ITS and D1/D2 analyses were comparable for species-level identification of molds other
than Aspergillus and Trichophyton. In contrast, the efficacy of ß-tubulin analysis was limited
to genus identification because of the paucity of database information for this gene.
Conclusions: The molecular methods employed in this study were valuable for mold identification,
although the different loci used had variable usefulness, according to mold genus.
Thus, a tailored approach is recommended when selecting amplification targets for
molecular identification of moldsto the species level by ITS and ß-tubulin analysis,