Lasiodiplodia theobromae

Teleomorph: Botryosphaeria rhodina (Berk, & Curt.) v. Arx
Synonym: Botryodiplodia theobromae Patouillard

Colonies are greyish sepia to mouse grey to black, fluffy with abundant aerial mycelium; reverse fuscous black to black. Pycnidia are simple or compound, often aggregated, stromatic, ostiolate, frequently setose, up to 5 mm wide. Conidiophores are hyaline, simple, sometimes septate, rarely branched cylindrical, arising from the inner layers of cells lining the pycnidial cavity. Conidiogenous cells are hyaline, simple, cylindrical to subobpyriform, holoblastic, annellidic. Conidia are initially unicellular, hyaline, granulose, subovoid to ellipsoide-oblong, thick-walled, base truncate; mature conidia one-septate, cinnamon to fawn, often longitudinally striate, 20-30 x 10-15 µm. Paraphyses when present are hyaline, cylindrical, sometimes septate, up to 50 µm long.

Mature two-celled dark brown conidia with typical striations of L. theobromae

Key Features: coelomycete, with pycnidia producing characteristic two-celled, dark brown, striated conidia.

MIC data is limited.  Antifungal susceptibility testing of individual strains is recommended.

Clinical significance:

Lasiodiplodia theobromae is a well known plant pathogen and it has been reported from about 500 host plants, mainly confined to an area 40 degrees north to 40 degrees south of the equator. It has also been associated with mycotic keratitis, lesions on nail and subcutaneous tissue. RG-1 organism.