Keratinolysis by poultry farm soil fungi

Two hundred and eleven dogs (including strictly house and stray dogs) and 170 cattle in and around the city of Madras, India were screened for the presence of dermatophytosis. 106 strains of dermatophytes (89 strains from dogs and 17 strains from bovines) were isolated. 57/106 strains were Trichophyton mentagrophytes var. mentagrophytes and 42/106 strains were of the Microsporum gypseum complex. 5 strains of T. rubrum and 2 strains of T. simii were also obtained in culture. A predominance of M. gypseum complex isolates was recorded in stray dogs and cattle and T. mentagrophytes var. mentagrophytes and T. rubrum in strictly house dogs. The family history of the owners of the most of the dogs had clear records of dermatophytosis. Further, the owners of the 11 dogs that yielded T. mentagrophytes var. mentagrophytes had either tinea corporis or tinea pedis. The etiological agent of all the 11 human cases was T. mentagrophytes var. interdigitale. Similarly the owners of 4 of the 5 dogs that yielded T. rubrum were known T. rubrum patients. All these patients responded to oral griseofulvin or ketaconozole, but the recurrence of lesions was noted with the cessation of treatment. None of the patients had onychomycosis and the family history of all the patients revealed no reports of T. rubrum infections. The pet dogs were presumed to be the source of re-infection. Reversed transmission of dermatophytes from humans to animals may be the reason for the selective predominance of these organisms in strictly house dogs. They also may act as sources of reinfection. Most of the animals had small, occult, scattered lesions. These lesions may either go unnoticed or are ignored by the owners of the animals. The taxonomic status of T. mentagrophytes var. mentagrophytes and T. mentagrophytes var. interdigitale was aligned to their teleomorph Arthroderma vanbreuseghemii. Our study suggests that the periodic screening and medication of all live-stock are essential for the prevention and management of the public health problem caused by dermatophytes. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

In Vitro Activity of Antifungal Drugs Against Trichophyton rubrum and Trichophyton mentagrophytes spp. by E-Test Method and Non-supplemented Mueller–Hinton Agar Plates

Mycopathologia - Trichophyton rubrum and Trichophyton mentagrophytes spp. are two of the most frequently isolated dermatophytes causing dermatophytosis worldwide. Since the incidence of resistance...     

Resistance to azolic compounds in clinical Trichophyton spp. strains

The increase of dermathophytosis in patients with poor therapeutic response leads us to study the antifungal susceptibility of 36 clinical isolates to itraconazole, ketoconazole and fluconazole by the E-test method. According to established parameters by the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute, the resistance to one or more antifungal drugs was demonstrated in seven isolates (19.4%) as follows: three Trichophyton rubrum, three T. mentagrophytes and one T. tonsurans. A T. rubrum isolate was resistant to the three azolic drugs; the other six only to fluconazole. It is important to establish the antifungal susceptibility as part of the study procedures in patients with dermatophytosis and a poor antifungal response.     

Contribution to the study of dermatomycosis in Catalonia

We report the results of a study which aim was the mycological identification of specimens coming from patients included in a clinical trial. A total of 445 specimens from patients with clinical diagnosis of dermatomicosis were processed during 8 months (138 pityriasis versicolor, 28 cutaneous candidosis and 279 dermatophytosis). A 48% of pityriasis versicolor cultures were positive for Malassezia furfur, 50% of candidosis cultures were positive for yeasts and 67% of dermatophytosis cultures were positive for dermatophytes. According to our results Candida albicans was the principal causative agent for cutaneous candidosis and Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Trichophyton rubrum were the most frequent isolated species causing dermatophytosis.     

Onychomycosis in Ceará (Northeast Brazil): epidemiological and laboratory aspects

Knowledge of epidemiological and mycological characteristics of onychomycosis has been noted by many authors as being an important tool for control of these fungal infections. This study seeks to improve knowledge of onychomycosis epidemiology and mycological features. Samples were taken from infected fingernails and toenails of 976 patients undergoing treatment at a respected Dermatology Center in Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil. Specimens from 512 patients (52%) were positive for onychomycosis. From the culture-positive samples, yeasts of the genus Candida (C. albicans, C. tropicalis, C. krusei, C. parapsilosis) were dominant. The dermatophytes isolated (Trichophyton rubrum, T. tonsurans, T. mentagrophytes var. mentagrophytes) were dominant in 46 patients (12.99%). The mould Fusarium spp. was isolated from 29 patients (8.19%). Yeast of the genus Candida is the main causal factor in onychomycosis in our region. Also, the study showed the importance of performing direct examination and culture in diagnosis of onychomycosis.     

A compilation of published reports of mycoses in animals in India

The available published reports on animal mycoses in India and the fungal agents isolated from animal material are discussed.Among dermatophytes, the occurrence of Trichophyton verrucosum, T. mentagrophytes, T. rubrum, T. equinum, T. violaceum, T. simii, T. tonsurans, T. terrestre, T. ajelloi, Microsporum canis, M. gypseum and M. nanum has been reported. Cases of aspergillosis, candidiasis, phycomycosis, rhinosporidiosis, epizootic lymphangitis, mycotic abortions and mycotic mastitis have been recorded in animals in this country. However, there is no report of histoplasmosis, sporotrichosis, blastomycosis and coccidioidomycosis among animals from India.     

Dermatophytes isolated in Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre (Madrid, Spain).

Over a 10 year period (January 1988 - December 1997), 3,241 dermatophyte strains were isolated from 18,465 specimens from patients in whom dermatophytosis was suspected clinically. This represents a 17.5% rate of isolation. Trichophyton rubrum (38.44%), Microsporum canis (28.75%), Epidermophyton floccosum (14.5%) and Trichophyton mentagrophytes (13.5%) were the dominant species, and Trichophyton tonsurans (2.09%) has emerged, whilst in the previous decade it had virtually disappeared. Our study is basically based on an out-patient selected population, and tinea corporis (30.79%), followed by tinea cruris (16.69%) and tinea unguium (16.69%) were the most prevalent clinical forms.     

红色毛癣菌菌株的特异性PCR鉴定方法研究

目的建立一种快速的红色毛癣菌分子生物学鉴定方法。方法根据红色毛癣菌保守区域-真菌核糖体DNA（rDNA）的转录间隔区（ITS）设计特异性引物,采用上游：ITS19865＇GAC ACC AAG AAA AAA TTC TCT GAA GA3＇,下游：ITS24415＇GTC CTG AGG GCG CTG AA3＇为引物对45株红色毛癣菌、5株须癣毛癣菌和1株紫色毛癣菌菌株的DNA进行PCR扩增,观察产物电泳带型的差异。结果 45株红色毛癣菌均能扩增出目的片段,5株须癣毛癣菌和1株紫色毛癣菌均无目的片段扩增出。结论红色毛癣菌可用特异引物PCR方法快速鉴定。     

Characterization of a cDNA clone, encoding a 70 kDa heat shock protein from the dermatophyte pathogen Trichophyton rubrum

Trichophyton rubrum is an anthropophilic fungus causing up to 90% of chronic cases of dermatophytosis. To characterize T. rubrum proteins at the molecular level, we established a cDNA library of this pathogen. Here we describe a recombinant cDNA clone identical to eukaryotic 70kDa heat-shock proteins (HSPs). Western blot analysis using an anti HSP70 monoclonal antibody detected a recombinant fusion protein in Escherichia coli transformed with the expression vector containing the cloned cDNA insert. Southern blot analysis of T. rubrum genomic DNA detected no other members of the HSP70 gene family. Further analysis revealed the presence of two introns within the ORF of the HSP70 gene. In Northern blot analysis, the cDNA clone was hybridized to a RNA species of about 3.5kb which was constitutively expressed by cells cultured at 27 degrees C and was strongly up-regulated after culture at 37 degrees C. In summary, we have cloned the first member of the HSP family of dermatophytes and characterized it as a member of the Dnak subfamily of 70kDa HSPs.     

Antagonistic activity of bacteria from Bacillus genus against dermatophyte fungi

Antagonistic properties of the strain Bacillus subtilis IB-54 with respect to dermatophyte fungi Trichophyton rubrum, T. mentagrophytes var. gypseum, Microsporum canis was studied. The studied strains of bacilli effectively inhibited growth and development of dermatophytes when were cultivated on the media containing different carbon sources. Experiments on laboratory animals showed that B. subtilis IB-54 displayed no virulence, toxicity, and toxigenicity and can be considered as perspective object for development of antimycotic drugs.     

Dermatophytes isolated from patients in University Hospital,Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia

A total of 576 dermatophytes were isolated from patients with a variety of skin infections from January 1993 to May 2000. Ten species of dermatophytes were identified: Epidermophyton floccosum (0.7%), Microsporum audouinii (1.1%), M. canis (3.1%), M. gypseum (0.3%), Trichophyton concentricum (3.5%), T. equinum (0.2%), T. mentagrophytes (36.1%), T. rubrum (53.8%), T. verrucosum (0.2) and T. violaceum (1.0%). The body sites most frequently affected by dermatophytes were the buttocks, nails and trunk. Anthropophilic dermatophytes made up 60.1% of the isolates; the most common species was T. rubrum, T. mentagrophytes and M. canis were the two main zoophilic dermatophytes. T. mentagrophytes was isolated from all body sites except the scalp. M. canis was found to be associated with domestic dogs and was not isolated from ethnic Malays. The only geophilic dermatophyte was M. gypseum, an uncommon dermatophyte associated with tinea pedis.     

Amino acid- or protein-dependent growth of Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Trichophyton rubrum

Culture conditions were examined for Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Trichophyton rubrum, which are major pathogens involved in dermatophytosis. They grew well in Sabouraud's dextrose broth or RPMI 1640. Growth in phosphate-buffered yeast nitrogen base supplemented with glucose was very slow, although growth improved significantly with the addition of amino acids or proteins to the medium. The fungi could also grow using human nail fragments as the only source of nutrition. Examination of proteases by substrate gel electrophoresis indicated that distinct sets of proteases are secreted from the dermatophytes in two different media, Sabouraud's dextrose broth and nail fragments. A protease inhibitor, phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride, inhibited the growth of the fungi on nail fragments, but it did not inhibit their growth in Sabouraud's dextrose broth.     

Antifungal activities of the essential oils in Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merr. Et Perry and Leptospermum petersonii Bailey and their constituents against various dermatophytes

This study was carried out in order to investigate the potential of using plant oils derived from Leptospermum petersonii Bailey and Syzygium aromaticum L. Merr. Et Perry as natural antifungal agents. The antifungal effects of essential oils at concentrations of 0.05, 0.1, 0.15, and 0.2 mg/ml on the dermatophytes Microsporum canis (KCTC 6591), Trichophyton mentagrophytes (KCTC 6077), Trichophyton rubrum (KCCM 60443), Epidermophyton floccosum (KCCM 11667), and Microsporum gypseum were evaluated using the agar diffusion method. The major constituents of the active fraction against the dermatophytes were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography analysis. The antifungal activities of S. aromaticum oil (clove oil) against the dermatophytes tested were highest at a concentration of 0.2 mg/ml, with an effectiveness of more than 60%. Hyphal growth was completely inhibited in T. mentagrophytes, T. rubrum, and M. gypseum by treatment with clove oil at a concentration of 0.2 mg/ml. Eugenol was the most effective antifungal constituent of clove oil against the dermatophytes T. mentagrophytes and M. canis. Morphological changes in the hyphae of T. mentagrophytes, such as damage to the cell wall and cell membrane and the expansion of the endoplasmic reticulum, after treatment with 0.11 mg/ml eugenol were observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). At a concentration of 0.2 mg/ml, L. petersonii oil (LPO) was more than 90% effective against all of the dermatophytes tested, with the exception of T. rubrum. Geranial was determined to be the most active antifungal constituent of L. petersonii oil. Taken together, the results of this study demonstrate that clove and tea tree oils exhibited significant antifungal activities against the dermatophytes tested in this study.     

In vitro activity of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Penicillium chrysogenum</Emphasis> antifungal protein (PAF) and its combination with fluconazole against different dermatophytes

Strains of five dermatophyte species (Microsporum canis, Microsporum gypseum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Trichophyton rubrum and Trichophyton tonsurans) were selected for testing against Penicillium chrysogenum antifungal protein (PAF) and its combination with fluconazole (FCZ). Inhibition of microconidia germination and growth was detected with MICs of PAF ranging from 1.56 to 200 mug ml(-1) when it was used alone, or at constant concentration (100 mug ml(-1)) in combination with FCZ at from 0.25 to 32 mug ml(-1). The MICs for FCZ were found to be between 0.25 and 128 mug ml(-1). PAF caused a fungicidal effect at 200 mug ml(-1) and reduced growth at between 50 and 200 mug ml(-1). Total growth inhibition with fungistatic activity was detected at 64 mug ml(-1) of FCZ for M. gypseum, T. mentagrophytes, and T. tonsurans, and at 32 mug ml(-1) FCZ for M. canis and T. rubrum. PAF and FCZ acted synergistically and/or additively on all of the tested fungi except M. gypseum, where no interactions were detected.     

126例面癣临床因素及病原菌分析

目的探讨面癣的致病菌种、临床特点及发病相关因素。方法对126例面癣患者进行真菌分离培养鉴定及流行病学分析。结果面癣见于各年龄段,以11～30岁最多见。患病动物接触史、合并其他部位浅部真菌病史及糖皮质类固醇激素类药物外用史是面癣发病的重要危险因素。分离出皮肤癣菌108株,包括红色毛癣菌63株（58．3％）、犬小孢子菌25株（23．1％）、须癣毛癣菌18株（16．7％）和石膏样小孢子菌2株（1．9％）。结论面癣的发病没有年龄差异,患者可见于各个年龄阶段;面癣的常见致病真菌绝大多数为红色毛癣菌和犬小孢子菌,其发病可能与患者自体接种或接触患病动物相关。面癣容易被误诊,及时进行真菌镜检和培养是降低面癣误诊率的关键。     

Antigenic relationship between downy and granular forms of Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Trichophyton rubrum

One strain each of granular and downy varieties of Trichophyton mentagrophytes and two strains each of granular and floccose colonial types Trichophyton rubrum were used for preparation of antigens. The antigens were analyzed by double diffusion against homologous and heterologous antisera raised in rabbits. A total of 17 distinct antigens were recognized, seven of which were common to two dermatophytes. Granular and downy varieties of the Trichophyton species produced on additional line of nonidentity. Cross reactions failed to establish any relationship between similar morphologic forms of different dermatophytes. One isolate of T. rubrum, which was originally the floccose culture type but changed into the granular form after artificial infection, showed an antigenic relationship to the floccose culture.     

Rapid identification of Acremonium lolii and Acremonium coenophialum endophytes through arbitrarily primed PCR

Abstract Using a random decamer 5'-CCGAGGTGAC-3' in an arbitrarily primed PCR, similar band patterns were observed between Acremonium lolii and A. coenophialum DNA, which were somewhat different from those formed by other fungal DNA. Despite sharing bands of around 0.7, 0.9 and 2.1 kb, A. lolii can be distinguished from A. coenophialum by the presence of an additional band at around 0.5 kb in the arbitrarily primed PCR.     

Three years incidence of dermatophytes in a hospital in Porto (Portugal)

We evaluated the incidence of dermatophytes isolated at our hospital in the years of 1997 to 2000 and correlated it with anatomical site and age. Trichophyton rubrum was the predominant species in all anatomical sites, excluding scalp, followed by Microsporum canis, the leading agent of tinea capitis. All dermatophytosis, except tinea capitis by M. canis and Trichophyton schoenleinnii appeared mainly in adult patients. Our results revealed no substantial differences to other portuguese studies regarding the major agents. We found a relatively high incidence of T. schoenleinnii as second tinea capitis agent.     

Antifungal Activities of Different Extracts of Marine Macroalgae Against Dermatophytes and Candida Species

Algae are bioactive natural resources, and due to the medical importance of superficial mycoses, we focused the action of macroalgae extracts against dermatophytes and Candida species. Seaweed obtained from the Riacho Doce beach, Alagoas (Brazil), were screened for the antifungal activity, through crude extracts using dichloromethane, chloroform, methanol, ethanol, water and chloroform and hexane fractions of green, brown and red algae in assays with standard strains of the dermatophytes Trichophyton rubrum, T. tonsurans, T. mentagrophytes, Microsporum canis, M. gypseum and yeasts Candida albicans, C. krusei, C. guilliermondi and C. parapsilosis. The M44-A and M27-A2/M38A manuals by CLSI were followed, and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranged from 0.03 to 16.00 μg ml(-1), and an inhibition halo of 10.00-25.00 mm was observed for dermatophytes, while for yeast, it was from 8.00 to 16.00 μg ml(-1) and 10.00-15.00 mm. M. canis showed MIC of 0.03 μg ml(-1) and the largest inhibition halo in T. rubrum (25.00 mm) through the use of the methanol extract. For C. albicans, dichloromethane, methanol and ethanol extracts formed the largest inhibition halo. The ethanol extract was shown to be the best inhibiting fungi growth, and chloroform and hexane fractions of H. musciformis inhibited the growth of all dermatophytes and C. albicans, yielding the conclusion that apolar extracts obtained from algae presented the best activity against important pathogenic fungi.     

皮肤癣菌体外蛋白水解酶活性测定

目的观察皮肤癣菌的体外蛋白水解酶活性;比较分离自不同感染部位的红色毛癣菌的体外蛋白水解酶活性。方法实验菌株包括来自不同感染部位的红色毛癣菌22株、须癣毛癣菌3株、犬小孢子菌5株,进行体外培养,并利用9-羟基乙酚噻唑标识的酪蛋白和酶标仪检测真菌细胞外蛋白水解酶的活性。结果须癣毛癣菌的体外蛋白水解酶活性高于红色毛癣菌和犬小孢子菌（P〈0.05）,而红色毛癣菌和犬小孢子菌之间无差异（P〉0.05）。红色毛癣菌的细胞外蛋白水解酶活性在分离自浅部感染部位的菌株之间无差异（P〉0.05）,但高于引起毛癣菌肉芽肿的菌株（P〈0.05）。结论不同的皮肤癣菌体外蛋白水解酶活性可能不同;分离自不同感染部位的同一菌种的体外蛋白水解酶活性也有可能不同。