Epidermophyton stockdaleae sp. nov.

Epidermophyton stockdaleae was isolated from the soil (with Ceresan) collected from a pig yard in Szczecin, by means of modified hair bait method. Colonies on Sabouraud glucose agar are flat with umbonate center, powdery, with a buff cream surface and a ferruginous reverse. Microconidia absent. Macroconidia are clubshaped or cylindrical 59.5 ? 20 × 12.9 ? 3.8µ, with up to 9 septa.     

Phytogeny of Epidermophyton floccosum and other dermatophytes

Eleven strains of Epidermophyton floccosum were compared with 5 Microsporum and 5 Trichophyton species with respect to the restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of the mitochondrial DNA to reveal their phylogenetic relationships. The phylogeny of 11 species showed that the three dermatophyte genera could not be separated from each other and could be considered to be congeneric. This result is not inconsistent with the results from ribosomal RNA sequences.     

Isolation of Epidermophyton floccosum from a dog in Norway

This report presents a case of dermatomycosis caused by Epidermophyton floccosum in a dog--the first recorded isolation of this fungus from animals in Norway.     

Epidermophyton floccosum infection in a dog from the United States

Epidermophyton floccosum was isolated from a lesion of dermatophytosis on a dog with hyperadrenocorticism. This report is, to our knowledge, the first unequivocally documented case of canine infection in the United States.     

An unusual lipid in the human pathogenic fungus Epidermophyton floccosum.

The dermatophyte Epidermophyton floccosum contains an unusual lipid characterized as 1(3),2-diacylglyceryl-3(1)-O-4'-(N,N,N-trimethyl)homoserine. Its concentration in E. floccosum is approx. 15% of the polar lipids. The role of this lipid in the biosynthesis of polar lipids and fatty acids is not yet known. However, it is interesting from a chemotaxonomic viewpoint that the lipids from two other genera of dermatophyte, Microsporum cookei and Trichophyton rubrum do not contain this novel lipid.     

Antifungal activity of allylamines on Epidermophyton floccosum: scanning electron microscopy study

The action of allylamine antifungal agents on Epidermophyton floccosum was studied using scanning electron microscopy. After 7 days of culture on Sabouraud dextrose agar, Epidermophyton floccosum samples were brought in contact with concentrations of 0.2 and 2 g ml^–1 and 0.01 and 0.1 g ml^–1 of naftifine and terbinafine, respectively. Lesions observed after 24 h, 3 and 7 days of contact were mainly on the structure and rigidity of the mycelial and macroconidial wall. They were characterized by hyphal ballooning and twisting and by apical bulbous bulges. Deterioration of macroconidia was characterized by wall exfoliation. The intensity of the deterioration depended on the dose and only slightly on the length of time that the sample and the antifungal drug were in contact.     

The growth of Epidermophyton floccosum and E. stockdaleae at different temperatures

The ability of 17 strains of genus Epidermophyton (15 strains belonging to Epidermophyton floccosum, one to E. floccosum var. nigricans and one to E. stockdaleae) to grow at different temperatures (4 °C, 25 °C, 28 °C, 31 °C, 34 °C, 37 °C and 40 °C) was stated.The strains were inoculated on Sabouraud Dextrose Agar and regularly controled over a period of 14 days when the plates were incubated at 25 °C, 28 °C, 31 °C, 34 °C, 37 °C and 40 °C, and over a period of 70 days when the temperature was 4 °C. The optimal growth of E. floccosum was observed at 28 °C and 31 °C, and no signs of growth were recorded neither at 4 °C nor at 40 °C. The optimal development of E. stockdaleae was observed at 25 °C and 28 °C. This species grew from 4 °C to 31 °C.     

Sensitivity of some strains of the genus Epidermophyton to different antifungal agents

The inhibitory activity of some antifungal agents against 17 strains of genus Epidermophyton have been studied. The behaviour of Epidermophyton stockdaleae against antifungal agents tested is clearly different from that observed in the strains belonging to Epidermophyton floccosum, since all of the latter were sensitive to the antifungal agents used and the geophilic species showed resistance to griseofulvin, isoconazole, natamycin and nystatin, and intermediate sensitivity to ketoconazole and miconazole. The low sensitivity of E. stockdaleae (and other geophilic dermatophytes) to antifungal agents could be a problem in the current therapy if further studies or case reports demonstrate their pathogenic role.     

Morphological and cytological observations on conidial formation of the genera Epidermophyton and Microsporon

Some morphological and cytological aspects ofEpidermophyton andMicrosporon were studied according to the classification of the Fungi Imperfecti suggested byHughes.It was found that origin of macroconidia in the genusEpidermophyton is quite different from that of the genusMicrosporon. The macroconidia of the speciesMicrosporon gypseum, M. fulvum andM. canis presented only pseudosepta; true septa were present inM. cookei, M. audouinii andM. vanbreuseghemii. On the basis of the morphological features of macroconidia a simple analytical key for the species ofMicrosporon most frequently isolated in Italy is proposed.These studies were supported by grant of the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche of Italy under contract n.69.01074/115.2798.     

Antifungal activity of 5 new synthetic compounds vs. Trichophyton rubrum and Epidermophyton floccosum

The antifungal activity of five new synthetic compounds was evaluated on two dermatophytes: Epidermophyton floccosum and Trichophyton rubrum. The data showed that the imidazo-pyrazole and pyrazolo-thiazoles were not particularly effective, while the two pyrazole-thiocyanates proved highly active on both fungi. The most active 5-amino-3-methyl-1-phenylpyrazolo-4-thiocyanate was chosen to perform SEM and TEM morphological studies on both fungi. Both SEM and TEM observations revealed interesting alterations on the two dermatophytes, particularly involving the endomembrane system. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Antifungal activity of Lactobacillus against Microsporum canis, Microsporum gypseum and Epidermophyton floccosum

A total of 220 lactic acid bacteria isolates were screened for antifungal activity using Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus niger as the target strains. Four Lactobacillus strains exhibited strong inhibitory activity on agar surfaces. All four were also identified as having strong inhibitory activity against the human pathogenic fungi Microsporum canis, Microsporum gypseum and Epidermophyton floccosum. One of the four lactobacilli, namely Lb. reuteri ee1p exhibited the most inhibition against dermatophytes. Cell-free culture supernatants of Lb. reuteri ee1p and of the non-antifungal Lb. reuteri M13 were freeze-dried and used to access and compare antifungal activity in agar plate assays and microtiter plate assays. Addition of the Lb. reuteri ee1p freeze-dried cell-free supernatant powder into the agar medium at concentrations greater than 2% inhibited all fungal colony growth. Addition of the powder at 5% to liquid cultures caused complete inhibition of fungal growth on the basis of turbidity. Freeze-dried supernatant of the non-antifungal Lb. reuteri M13 at the same concentrations had a much lesser effect. As Lb. reuteri M13 is very similar to the antifungal strain ee1p in terms of growth rate and final pH in liquid culture, and as it has little antifungal activity, it is clear that other antifungal compounds must be specifically produced (or produced at higher levels) by the anti-dermatophyte strain Lb. reuteri ee1p. Reuterin was undetectable in all four antifungal strains. The cell free supernatant of Lb. reuteri ee1p was analyzed by LC-FTMS using an Accela LC coupled to an LTQ Orbitrap XL mass spectrometer. The high mass accuracy spectrum produced by compounds in the Lb. reuteri ee1p strain was compared with both a multianalyte chromatogram and individual spectra of standard anti-fungal compounds, which are known to be produced by lactic acid bacteria. Ten antifungal metabolites were detected.     

Ultrastructural alterations in Epidermophyton floccosum and Trichophyton mentagrophytes exposed in vitro to protoanemonin

Protoanemonin (PrA) is an antimicrobial agent whose mechanism of action has not been clearly described. Some evidence exists which indicates that the compound inhibits growth by interacting with microtubules (MTs). In order to confirm this hypothesis, an ultrastructural study was undertaken in vitro on Epidermophyton floccosum and Trichophyton mentagrophytes, two dermatophytes which proved to be sensitive to the drug. A concentration of 1.25 x 10(-4) M (half-MIC dose) for 48 h, caused a series of ultrastructural alterations which were detected by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Wave-like hyphae with distorted apical tips were frequently observed. Wall formation was variously affected as revealed by the deposition of incomplete septa and the accumulation of lomasome-like infoldings. An extrusion of extraparietal material binding adjacent filaments of the mycelia together was also produced. The nucleoplasm was characteristically crossed by MT-like structures. The possibility exists that PrA exerts its antifungal activity by MT interaction.     

Occurrence of Dermatomycoses and In-Vitro Therapeutic Efficacy of Three Antifungal Drugs on the Growth of Epidermophyton Floccosum

The occurrence of dermatomycoses and the in-vitro therapeutic efficacy of some antifungal agents on dermatomycotic organisms were investigated. Of the 550 primary school children screened, the incidence was one hundred (18%), 70 were males (representing 20% of the males screened) and 30 females (15% of the females sampled). The differences between male and female prevalence were insignificant. Three species of dermatophytes were isolated and identified. These were Microsporum canis, Trichophyton tonsurans and Epidermophyton floccosum. The antifungal agents tested on E. floccosum were griseofulvin, terbinafine and ketoconazole. They produced different sized zones of inhibition against the growth of E. floccosum. Griseofulvin exhibited a 50% inhibition of growth on E. floccosum at 63.00 mg/L. Terbinafine on the other hand exhibited varying levels of inhibition of growth at varying concentrations, at 0.07 mg/L, terbinafine achieved 46% inhibition of growth on E. floccosum. The drug achieved 100% inhibition of growth on the isolate at 61.81 mg/L. In the case of ketoconazole, 50% inhibition of growth was achieved at 100 mg/L while 100% inhibition of growth was achieved at 200 mg/L. The antifungal effects of the three drugs were confirmed by broth dilution tests where terbinafine was found to be fungistatic on the growth of E. floccosum at concentrations ranging from 0.013-1.700 mg/L and was fungicidal at concentrations ranging from 0.027-1.700 mg/L. Ketoconazole was found to inhibit the growth of E. floccosum at 0.003-1.700 mg/L and was fungicidal at concentrations ranging from 0.027-1.700 mg/L. It however did not succeed in killing the isolate under the same range of concentrations. Griseofulvin exhibited fungistatic effects on the growth of E. floccusum at 0.013-1.700 mg/L. In conclusion, ketoconazole and griseofulvin were found to be fungistatic and not fungicidal while terbinafine was both fungistatic and fungicidal on the pathogen. Terbinafine was found to be the most effective drug in inhibiting E. floccosum.     

Flurbiprofen,a unique non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug with antimicrobial activity against Trichophyton,Microsporum and Epidermophyton species

AIMS: The objective of this study was to determine the antifungal activity of flurbiprofen against dermatophytes like Trichophyton, Microsporum and Epidermophyton species. METHODS AND RESULTS: Susceptibility tests were performed against dermatophytes like Trichophyton, Microsporum and Epidermophyton species by the microbroth dilution method. Among the dermatophytes tested, Trichophyton, Microsporum and Epidermophyton species are remarkably susceptible to this compound (MIC(50): 8-16 microg ml(-1)). A yeast pathogen, Candida albicans, and a bacterium, Staphylococcus aureus, are also susceptible to flurbiprofen. CONCLUSIONS: Flurbiprofen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory compound with strong antifungal activity, which is not found in two well known and medically used antifungal organic acids like benzoic and salicylic acids. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The present action of flurbiprofen on microbes indicates its future prospects as an antimicrobial agent against dermatophytes and yeast pathogens. However, in view of the anti-inflammatory property of flurbiprofen, its antifungal action may provide an additional advantage for use as a skin ointment.     

Sur l'origine tellurique du Ctenomyces inter-digitalis (Epidermophyton Kaufmann-Wolf). Dysidrose palmaire par contact avec de la terre

Summary The authors were able to isolate from the superficial layers of the soil,Ctenomyces interdigitalis (Epidermophyton interdigitale, Epidermophyton Kaufmann-Wolf). The morphological macro- and microscopical features of the cultures, as well as those of the experimental lesions, obtained by inoculation in man and animal, proved that the isolated fungus was reallyCtenomyces interdigitalis and notCtenomyces mentagrophytes orTrichophyton (Achorion)quinckeanum. The isolated strain caused a dysidrosis of the palm. The patient, a woman 34 years old, infected herself by scooping with her left hand the earth mixed with dead (withered) leaves which were found in a watering pond. The authors did not find, up to now in the literature, any mention about the presence of this dermatophyte in the soil, which would be proved by direct investigation, although its presence in this medium was accepted by those who observed tinea pedis developing after the contact of the feet with the earth.

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Résumé Les auteurs ont réussi à isoler, de la terre, leCtenomyces interdigitalis (Epidermophyton interdigitale, Epidermophyton deKaufmann-Wolf). Les caractères morphologiques, macro- et microscopiques des cultures, ainsi que ceux des lésions expérimentales, obtenues par son inoculation à l'homme et à l'animal, ont précisé qu'il s'agissait bien duCtenomyces interdigitalis et non duCtenomyces mentagrophytes ou duTrichophyton (Achorion)quinckeanum. La souche isolée avait provoqué une dysidrose palmaire chez une femme âgée de 34 ans. La malade s'est contaminée en creusant, de sa main gauche, la terre mélangée à des feuilles mortes qui se trouvait dans une bouche d'arrosage. D'après la littérature consultée, il semble que ce dermatophyte n'a pas été isolé, directement, jusqu'à présent, des couches superficielles du sol, bien que sa présence dans ce milieu fut admise par nombre d'auteurs qui ont vu l'Epidermophytie plantaire se développer après le contact, des pieds nus, avec la terre.

     

Reversal of cerulenin-induced inhibition of phospholipids and sterol synthesis by exogenous fatty acids/sterols in Epidermophyton floccosum

Cerulenin, a specific inhibitor of fatty acids and sterol biosynthesis inhibited the growth of Epidermophyton floccosum, which was reversed when growth medium was supplemented with palmitic acid and sterols. Unsaturated fatty acids partially restored the growth. Cerulenin inhibited both phospholipid and sterol biosynthesis (60-70%) at the minimum inhibitory concentration (0.5 microgram/ml) as demonstrated by [32P]orthophosphoric acid and [14C]acetate incorporation into the respective lipids. Cerulenin-induced inhibition of phospholipid and sterol synthesis was dose dependent up to 0.5 microgram/ml. Exogenously supplied fatty acids and sterols restored the biosynthesis of phospholipids in cerulenin-treated cultures, while that of sterols was enhanced. The biosynthesis of both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids was inhibited by cerulenin.