Paracoccidioides spp. isolation from environmental samples is rare and hardly reproducible. Molecular techniques have facilitated the fungal detection. However, it can be still difficult. Some strategies to enhance the capacity of DNA detection have been adopted, including the analysis of soil samples belonging to the habitat of animals from which Paracoccidioides spp. have already been isolated, notably armadillo burrows. To date, the detection of Paracoccidioides spp. has not yet been reported from outbreak hotspots. Clusters and outbreaks of acute paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM), usually a more severe clinical form, have currently occurred in urban areas being associated to climate changes, deforestation, and great constructions. These occurrences potentially signalise the fungus’ environmental niche, a riddle not yet solved. The authors performed an environmental investigation in a deeply disturbed area, after a highway construction in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where a recent outbreak of acute PCM occurred. Specific DNA sequences of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis were detected in shallow soil samples around the highway, reinforcing the association between the road construction and this PCM outbreak.

中文翻译：

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巴西副球菌栖息地：远不止犰狳洞穴吗？

副球菌属 从环境样品中分离是罕见的，并且几乎不可重现。分子技术促进了真菌的检测。但是，这仍然可能很困难。已经采取了一些增强DNA检测能力的策略，包括分析属于Paracoccidioides spp的动物栖息地的土壤样品。已经被隔离，尤其是犰狳洞穴。迄今为止，检测到的是Paracoccidioides spp。尚未从爆发热点报告过。急性副球菌病（PCM）的集群和爆发通常是一种更为严重的临床形式，目前已在城市地区发生，与气候变化，森林砍伐和大型建筑有关。这些事件潜在地表明了真菌的环境利基，这是一个尚未解决的难题。作者在巴西里约热内卢的高速公路建设之后，在一个严重受干扰的地区进行了环境调查，最近在那里爆发了急性PCM。在高速公路周围的浅层土壤样品中检测到巴西副球菌的特定DNA序列，从而加强了道路建设与PCM爆发之间的联系。