[1] Cladophialophora carrionii is a causative agent of chromoblastomycosis, a subcutaneous infection that occurs in sub-tropical areas such as Madagascar, Australia and northwestern Venezuela.

[2] Cladophialophora carrionii is saprotrophic, occurring mainly on decaying plant material such as wood where it produces enzymes that allow it to utilize lignin as a nutrient source.

[2][4] Cladophialophora carrionii is also found in pine trees, eucalyptus fence posts[1] (which are often used in farming to protect crops), soil and dead cactus spines where it derives its nutrition from carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins in the plant tissue.

[4][5] Cladophialophora carrionii is part of a group of melanized fungi, also known as "black yeasts" because its mycelial form has a dark green colour and its conidia have brown pigment.

[2] Chromoblastomycosis results in subcutaneous, crusty lesions that can spread over large areas on different parts of the body such as the legs, arms and face.

[2] Chromoblastomycosis is found worldwide, most prominently in tropical and sub-tropical regions such as Mexico, Madagascar, Brazil, China, and Malaysia but some cases have been reported in the United States and Europe.

[2] Cladophialophora carrionii causes only a minor subset of chromoblastomycosis cases, most notably in drier locations such as Madagascar, Australia and northwestern Venezuela, which are rife with plants inhabited by the fungus.

[11] Field workers who work without foot protection or clothing covering legs and arms are at greater risk for inoculation by material colonized by C.

[6] Identifying the specific agent that caused chromoblastomycosis can be done by PCR assays[15] or culturing the fungus by growing it on an agar plate and observing the colony morphology and sporulation characteristics.

[3] The adaptive immune system also plays a role by activating cells such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), the type of IL specifically produced with C. carrionii infection, but it may have negative consequences for eradicating the fungus.

[12] However, C. carrionii is sensitive to commonly used antifungals so cure rates are higher than seen in chromoblastomycosis infections caused by Fonsecaea pedrosoi.