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Published on: February 10, 2023
Genotype structure of Trichophyton mentagrophytes complex from companion animals in France reveals restricted
Arnaud Jabet1, Anne-Cécile Normand2, Nicolas Soetart3
1Department of Parasitology and Mycology, La Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), Pierre-Louis Institute of Epidemiology and Public Health (IPLESP), INSERM, Sorbonne University, Paris, France.
Abstract:
The Trichophyton mentagrophytes complex includes pathogens of major relevance in both human and veterinary medicine. Despite growing knowledge of the rDNA Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) region diversity within the complex, data on circulating genotypes in animals remain scarce. We analyzed 348 T. mentagrophytes isolates obtained from companion animals in France in 2020 to describe ITS genotype distribution and assess the presence of T. indotineae and T. mentagrophytes ITS-genotype VII. Eight ITS genotypes were identified, with genotype III* largely predominant (62.4%), followed by genotypes III (22.4%) and II* (8.6%). No significant difference in genotype distribution was observed between cats and dogs. Genotype XXIV was exclusively detected in the three chinchilla isolates, while genotype XXVI-Uhrlass was identified in 17 cases. Three previously undescribed ITS genotypes were also recorded. Sequencing of tef1-α and tubb in a subset of isolates showed limited diversity within each ITS genotype, except for genotype III*, which exhibited several sequence variants. Mating-type analysis revealed both idiomorphs in the collection, although a single idiomorph was detected within each ITS genotype except genotype III*. Genotypes III and XXVI exhibited a restricted geographical distribution. Neither T. indotineae, T. mentagrophytes ITS-genotype VII, nor T. interdigitale ITS genotypes were identified. Our results highlight restricted genetic diversity among companion animal-derived isolates in France and support reduced genetic mixing among ITS genotypes, consistent with ongoing speciation processes within T. mentagrophytes species complex.
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