The Onygenales are an
order of fungi in the class
Eurotiomycetes and division
Ascomycota
Ascomycota is a phylum of the kingdom Fungi that, together with the Basidiomycota, forms the subkingdom Dikarya. Its members are commonly known as the sac fungi or ascomycetes. It is the largest phylum of Fungi, with over 64,000 species. The def ...
. The order's last common ancestor is estimated to have lived 150 million years ago.
Onygenales can consume and break down
keratin
Keratin () is one of a family of structural fibrous proteins also known as ''scleroproteins''. It is the key structural material making up Scale (anatomy), scales, hair, Nail (anatomy), nails, feathers, horn (anatomy), horns, claws, Hoof, hoove ...
, the main component of the outer layer of skin. They are primarily found on animals, droppings, and areas frequented by animals. Many are
dimorphic, and can change from mold to yeast form depending on their environment.
Many onygenalean fungi are
pathogen
In biology, a pathogen (, "suffering", "passion" and , "producer of"), in the oldest and broadest sense, is any organism or agent that can produce disease. A pathogen may also be referred to as an infectious agent, or simply a Germ theory of d ...
s.
One species, ''
Trichophyton rubrum'', is the primary cause of
athlete's foot. This order also includes the ''
Coccidioides'' implicated in
Valley fever. The Onygenales are important as emerging human pathogens because of the rising rates of
immunosuppression due to live-organ transplant, HIV/AIDS, and
autoimmune disorders such as
lupus erythematosus.
References
Ascomycota orders
{{Eurotiomycetes-stub