Unusual fatty acid in Sporothrix schenckii

Sporothrix schenckii was isolated from a specimen from a 75-year-old woman with lymphatic sporotrichosis on the left forearm. A mass of fungi was cultured in liquid Sabouraud dextrose broth for three months. Crude lipids were extracted from the cultured fungal mass. Total fatty acids and free fatty acids were isolated, purified, and then analyzed using thin-layer chromatography, gas liquid chromatography, and mass spectrometry. Total fatty acid composition consisted of seven molecular species of C15:0 (2.5%), C16:1 (2.5%), C16:0 (64.5%), 2-Me-C16:0 (5.1%), C17:0 (2.0%), C18:1 (18.0%) and C18:0 (5.3%). Free fatty acid composition consisted of eight species of C14:0 (2.0%), C15:1 (4.1%), C16:1 (7.5%), C16:0 (68.5%), C17:0 (0.6%), C18:2 (2.0%), C18:1 (14.5%) and of C18:0 (0.9%). 2-Me-C16:0 was detected in the fungus for the first time.