Chapter 14 : Yeast Taxonomy, 1900 to 2000

Abstract:

As well as isolating new species, taxonomists have, almost uniquely undertaken the comparative study and description of many different kinds of yeast, and this is probably one of their most valuable contributions to yeast biology. This chapter considers some aspects of the history of all these kinds of activity. Ascospore-forming yeasts, such as Saccharomyces species, were isolated notably from industrial fermentations, whereas many non-ascospore-producing yeasts were found in clinical practice-for example, Candida albicans and Malassezia furfur, often the putative causes of mycotic diseases. In 1924, Endomyces fibuliger was transferred to Saccharomycopsis. However, the genus Saccharomycopsis generally lapsed into desuetude until Kreger-van Rij restored it in all its glory in 1984. Writing from the Faculté de Médecine of Paris in 1932, Maurice Langeron and Rodolfo Talice published a paper on classifying those fungi which characteristically formed both filaments and yeast-like cells. This paper was largely a report of a microscopical study of the different categories of cell produced by each kind of yeast: blastoconidia, chlamydospores, the mode of budding, and the greatly varied appearance of filamentous growths. The chapter describes the inception of some genera which were thought to be asexual, namely, Brettanomyces, Sporobolomyces, Bullera, Rhodotorula, Kloeckera, Trigonopsis, and Schizoblastosporion. The sensible naming of yeasts is vital for all who work with them, in research, in commerce, and in medicine.