Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 9, 2025

Author Spotlight: Unraveling the Interplay Between Trichoderma stromaticum and the Mammalian Immune System
07:21

Author Spotlight: Unraveling the Interplay Between Trichoderma stromaticum and the Mammalian Immune System

Published on: October 20, 2023

1.7K

Taxonomy of the Trichophyton mentagrophytes/T. interdigitale Species Complex Harboring the Highly Virulent,

Chao Tang1,2, Xue Kong3, Sarah A Ahmed2

  • 1Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education of Guizhou & Key Laboratory of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China.

Mycopathologia
|April 13, 2021
PubMed

Insights

A new fungal species, Trichophyton indotineae, is causing a severe, multi-resistant dermatophytosis outbreak in India. This study clarifies its distinct identity from related Trichophyton species, highlighting its zoonotic origin and antifungal resistance.

Area of Science:

  • Medical Mycology
  • Fungal Taxonomy
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • A highly virulent and multi-resistant dermatophytosis outbreak caused by the Trichophyton mentagrophytes/T. interdigitale complex is prevalent in India.
  • The precise identification of the causative fungal species remains a significant challenge and subject to debate.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To delineate species boundaries within the T. mentagrophytes/T. interdigitale complex.
  • To definitively identify the etiologic agent responsible for the ongoing dermatophytosis outbreak in India.

Main Methods:

  • Combined molecular (HMG gene sequencing, multilocus analysis), morphological, and physiological characteristics for taxonomic classification.
  • Utilized tanglegrams for robust confirmation of distinct genetic entities.

Main Results:

  • Molecular analyses, particularly HMG gene sequencing, clearly distinguish Trichophyton indotineae from T. mentagrophytes and T. interdigitale.
  • While phenotypic traits show statistical differences, they are not diagnostic for species identification.
  • T. mentagrophytes appears ancestral and homothallic, whereas T. indotineae and T. interdigitale are anthropophilic, clonal offshoots.

Conclusions:

  • Trichophyton indotineae is identified as a distinct species responsible for the current public health crisis in India.
  • The emergence of T. indotineae is linked to zoonotic origins and the extensive misuse of antifungal treatments.
  • Understanding these evolutionary trends is crucial for managing dermatophytosis outbreaks.
Keywords:
DermatophytosisIndiaMultiresistanceOutbreakTrichophyton indotineae

More Related Videos

Author Spotlight: Evaluation of Entomopathogenic Fungi in Wild Monochamus alternatus Populations for Biocontrol Applications in Forest Wood Borers06:58

Author Spotlight: Evaluation of Entomopathogenic Fungi in Wild Monochamus alternatus Populations for Biocontrol Applications in Forest Wood Borers

Published on: September 29, 2023

1.0K
Identification of Rare Bacterial Pathogens by 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing and MALDI-TOF MS06:34

Identification of Rare Bacterial Pathogens by 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing and MALDI-TOF MS

Published on: July 11, 2016

19.5K

Related Concept Videos

Skin Diseases and Disorders01:23

Skin Diseases and Disorders

Skin is the first line of defense and encounters a variety of microbes. Some pathogenic strains are often the cause of a broad range of infections of the skin and other body systems. These conditions can affect people of all ages and may have different causes, including genetic factors, infections, autoimmune reactions, environmental factors, and lifestyle choices.
Gram-positive Staphylococcus spp. and Streptococcus spp. are responsible for many of the most common skin infections. However, many...
4.6K
Fungal Phylum Microsporidia01:28

Fungal Phylum Microsporidia

Microsporidia are a group of obligate intracellular fungi that were initially classified as protists but were later reclassified based on phylogenetic, molecular, and structural evidence linking them to the Chytridiomycota. These unicellular, non-motile organisms are highly specialized parasites that infect a wide range of animal hosts, including humans. They have evolved extensive genomic and metabolic reductions, making them highly dependent on their hosts for survival.Morphology and Genomic...
228
Bacterial Phylum Actinobacteria01:30

Bacterial Phylum Actinobacteria

Coryneform bacteria are gram-positive, aerobic, nonmotile rods that exhibit irregular, club-shaped, or V-shaped arrangements. Their V-shape results from snapping division, where the inner cell wall layer forms the cross-wall, while the outer layer remains intact until it ruptures on one side, causing the daughter cells to bend away.The primary genera are Corynebacterium and Arthrobacter. Corynebacterium includes diverse species, ranging from saprophytes to pathogens like Corynebacterium...
272
Microbial Classification System01:24

Microbial Classification System

Classification is the process of organizing organisms into hierarchically inclusive groups based on their phenotypic similarities or evolutionary relationships. A species comprises one or more strains, and closely related species are grouped into genera. Genera are further classified into families, families into orders, orders into classes, and so forth, up to the domain level, which is the broadest taxonomic rank derived from a combination of phenotypic and genotypic data.The nomenclature of...
478
Modern Molecular Taxonomy01:29

Modern Molecular Taxonomy

Advancements in molecular biology have revolutionized the identification and characterization of bacteria, with multiple methods leveraging DNA sequencing for enhanced precision. As sequencing technologies improve and costs decline, these approaches are increasingly used in clinical, environmental, and evolutionary studies.Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST) examines several housekeeping genes, essential chromosomal genes encoding cellular functions, to distinguish strains. Approximately...
340
Bacterial Phylum Tenericutes01:24

Bacterial Phylum Tenericutes

The phylum Tenericutes, which includes the single class Mollicutes, comprises bacteria that lack cell walls. The term "Mollicutes" derives from the Latin word mollis, meaning "soft." These organisms are among the smallest known and are commonly referred to as mycoplasmas due to the prominence of the genus Mycoplasma, which includes well-known human pathogens. Despite their inability to stain gram-positively (a result of their lack of cell walls), mycoplasmas are phylogenetically related to the...
205