Mr Taygen Fuchs

About

I am currently pursuing a PhD focused on advancing our understanding of Sporothrix, a group of fungi that includes important human pathogens. My research centres on the discovery and description of novel species, the development of molecular tools for detecting pathogenic Sporothrix in environmental samples, and genome-based comparisons to better define species boundaries and relationships. Together, this work aims to improve how these fungi are identified, classified, and monitored, with relevance for both environmental and public health contexts.

My MSc research explored fungal diversity within South African gold mine environments, with a particular focus on species of Sporothrix. This work highlighted these environments as reservoirs of previously uncharacterised fungal diversity, including many novel taxa. In addition, I investigated the population genetics of pathogenic Sporothrix species in South Africa, revealing the presence of a dominant clonal lineage and contributing to a better understanding of their distribution and epidemiology.

I joined FABI in 2022, where under the supervision of Prof. B Wingfield, my honours work focused on two closely related plant pathogens of the genus Berkeleyomyces. The work focused on designing molecular diagnostics and polymorphic microsatellite markers for two closely related species. The genetics tools developed will facilitate future research on the genetic diversity of these important pathogens.

Highlights

Conference Contributions

Fuchs T*, Visagie C, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ (2026) Fungal diversity in South African gold mines: A hidden reservoir of novel taxa. 54th Biennial Congress of the Southern African Society for Plant Pathology (SASPP), Umhlanga, 18-21 January. Poster Presentation.

Fuchs T*, Visagie C, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ (2026) Species boundaries and genetic diversity revealed in archival South African clinical Sporothrix strains. 54th Biennial Congress of the Southern African Society for Plant Pathology (SASPP), Umhlanga, 18-21 January. Oral Presentation.

Fuchs T*, Vismer H, Visagie CM, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ (2024) Genetic diversity and population structure of clinical strains in South Africa. Joint South African Society for Bioinformatics (SASBi) and South African Genetics Society (SAGS) BIO2024 conference, Pretoria, 23-25 September. .

Mr Taygen Fuchs

Mr Taygen Fuchs

About

Highlights

Conference Contributions

My Publications

Journal Articles (4)

My Publications