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Type and reference strains of members of the onygenalean family Arthrodermataceae have been sequenced for rDNA ITS and partial LSU, the ribosomal 60S protein, and fragments of β-tubulin and translation elongation factor 3. The resulting phylogenetic trees showed a large degree of correspondence, and topologies matched those of earlier published phylogenies demonstrating that the phylogenetic representation of dermatophytes and dermatophyte-like fungi has reached an acceptable level of stability. All trees showed Trichophyton to be polyphyletic. In the present paper, Trichophyton is restricted to mainly the derived clade, resulting in classification of nearly all anthropophilic dermatophytes in Trichophyton and Epidermophyton , along with some zoophilic species that regularly infect humans . Microsporum is restricted to some species around M. canis , while the geophilic species and zoophilic species that are more remote from the human sphere are divided over Arthroderma, Lophophyton and Nannizzia . A new genus Guarromyces is proposed for Keratinomyces ceretanicus . Thirteen new combinations are proposed; in an overview of all described species it is noted that the largest number of novelties was introduced during the decades 1920–1940, when morphological characters were used in addition to clinical features. Species are neo- or epi-typified where necessary, which was the case in Arthroderma curreyi , Epidermophyton floccosum , Lophophyton gallinae , Trichophyton equinum , T. mentagrophytes , T. quinckeanum , T. schoenleinii , T. soudanense , and T. verrucosum . In the newly proposed taxonomy, Trichophyton contains 16 species, Epidermophyton one species, Nannizzia 9 species, Microsporum 3 species, Lophophyton 1 species, Arthroderma 21 species and Ctenomyces 1 species, but more detailed studies remain needed to establish species borderlines. Each species now has a single valid name. Two new genera are introduced: Guarromyces and Paraphyton . The number of genera has increased, but species that are relevant to routine diagnostics now belong to smaller groups, which enhances their identification.

We report cases of infections on the scalp of three individuals from an African family, originating from Mali and residing in Guangzhou. This is the first time that has been reported in China. The index case involved a 2-year-old boy who presented with scalp patches and scaling for more than 1 year. Dermatological examination revealed scattered dark brown patches with scales on the scalp without noticeable alopecia or pustules. Fungal microscopy revealed the presence of Ectothrix hyphae and abundant clusters of arthroconidia. On Sabouraud Dextrose Agar, pale yellow cottony colonies with radial growth appeared within 4 days. Small colonies grown on the 1% yeast extract medium exhibited pyriform and clavate microconidia, septate, thick-walled macroconidia, and comb-like hyphae. rDNA ITS Molecular identification, Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry and whole-genome sequencing all confirmed the presence of . The patient's father and second-eldest brother, both asymptomatic carriers, had positive fungal cultures for scalp dandruff, which were also identified as . After failing a 6-week course of oral itraconazole at 0.05 g/day with poor adherence, the patient was switched to intermittent oral terbinafine (0.08 g/day for 18 weeks) which resulted in minimal arthroconidia presence on the scalp and negative fungal culture. The father and second-eldest brother were each administered oral terbinafine at 0.25 and 0.125 g/day for 4 weeks, respectively, with negative fungal cultures post-treatment. Given the epidemiological characteristics of , vigilance is warranted for potential imported infections and risk of outbreaks in China.

The major cause of athlete’s foot is Trichophyton rubrum , a dermatophyte or fungal pathogen of human skin. To facilitate molecular analyses of the dermatophytes, we sequenced T. rubrum and four related species, Trichophyton tonsurans , Trichophyton equinum , Microsporum canis , and Microsporum gypseum . These species differ in host range, mating, and disease progression. The dermatophyte genomes are highly colinear yet contain gene family expansions not found in other human-associated fungi. Dermatophyte genomes are enriched for gene families containing the LysM domain, which binds chitin and potentially related carbohydrates. These LysM domains differ in sequence from those in other species in regions of the peptide that could affect substrate binding. The dermatophytes also encode novel sets of fungus-specific kinases with unknown specificity, including nonfunctional pseudokinases, which may inhibit phosphorylation by competing for kinase sites within substrates, acting as allosteric effectors, or acting as scaffolds for signaling. The dermatophytes are also enriched for a large number of enzymes that synthesize secondary metabolites, including dermatophyte-specific genes that could synthesize novel compounds. Finally, dermatophytes are enriched in several classes of proteases that are necessary for fungal growth and nutrient acquisition on keratinized tissues. Despite differences in mating ability, genes involved in mating and meiosis are conserved across species, suggesting the possibility of cryptic mating in species where it has not been previously detected. These genome analyses identify gene families that are important to our understanding of how dermatophytes cause chronic infections, how they interact with epithelial cells, and how they respond to the host immune response. IMPORTANCE Athlete’s foot, jock itch, ringworm, and nail infections are common fungal infections, all caused by fungi known as dermatophytes (fungi that infect skin). This report presents the genome sequences of Trichophyton rubrum , the most frequent cause of athlete’s foot, as well as four other common dermatophytes. Dermatophyte genomes are enriched for four gene classes that may contribute to the ability of these fungi to cause disease. These include (i) proteases secreted to degrade skin; (ii) kinases, including pseudokinases, that are involved in signaling necessary for adapting to skin; (iii) secondary metabolites, compounds that act as toxins or signals in the interactions between fungus and host; and (iv) a class of proteins (LysM) that appear to bind and mask cell wall components and carbohydrates, thus avoiding the host’s immune response to the fungi. These genome sequences provide a strong foundation for future work in understanding how dermatophytes cause disease. Athlete’s foot, jock itch, ringworm, and nail infections are common fungal infections, all caused by fungi known as dermatophytes (fungi that infect skin). This report presents the genome sequences of Trichophyton rubrum , the most frequent cause of athlete’s foot, as well as four other common dermatophytes. Dermatophyte genomes are enriched for four gene classes that may contribute to the ability of these fungi to cause disease. These include (i) proteases secreted to degrade skin; (ii) kinases, including pseudokinases, that are involved in signaling necessary for adapting to skin; (iii) secondary metabolites, compounds that act as toxins or signals in the interactions between fungus and host; and (iv) a class of proteins (LysM) that appear to bind and mask cell wall components and carbohydrates, thus avoiding the host’s immune response to the fungi. These genome sequences provide a strong foundation for future work in understanding how dermatophytes cause disease.

Microsporum canis is a widely distributed dermatophyte, which is among the main etiological agents of dermatophytosis in humans and domestic animals. This fungus invades, colonizes and nourishes itself on the keratinized tissues of the host through various virulence factors. This review will bring together the known information about the mechanisms, enzymes and their associated genes relevant to the pathogenesis processes of the fungus and will provide an overview of those virulence factors that should be better studied to establish effective methods of prevention and control of the disease. Public databases using the MeSH terms “Microsporum canis”, “virulence factors” and each individual virulence factor were reviewed to enlist a series of articles, from where only original works in English and Spanish that included relevant information on the subject were selected. Out of the 147 articles obtained in the review, 46 were selected that reported virulence factors for M. canis in a period between 1988 and 2023. The rest of the articles were discarded because they did not contain information on the topic (67), some were written in different languages (3), and others were repeated in two or more databases (24) or were not original articles (7). The main virulence factors in M. canis are keratinases, fungilisins and subtilisins. However, less commonly reported are biofilms or dipeptidylpeptidases, among others, which have been little researched because they vary in expression or activity between strains and are not considered essential for the infection and survival of the fungus. Although it is known that they are truly involved in resistance, infection and metabolism, we recognize that their study could strengthen the knowledge of the pathogenesis of M. canis with the aim of achieving effective treatments, as well as the prevention and control of infection.

Tinea capitis, a chronic inflammatory disease of the scalp and hair shafts caused by dermatophyte infections, ​manifests clinically​ as erythematous lesions, scaling, alopecia, and pustule formation. Hainan, a tropical island province in China, exhibits distinctive climatic conditions and demographic contact patterns that ​could shape​ its pathogen spectrum. However, comprehensive epidemiological data ​remain scarce. This study ​analyzes​ the epidemiological characteristics and pathogen spectrum of tinea capitis in Hainan, China. This study ​was undertaken​ across 11 coastal and inland dermatological centers in Hainan Province (January 2023 to December 2024). A total of 76 tinea capitis patients ​diagnosed​ via mycological examination (fungal fluorescence microscopy, fungal culture with species identification) ​and corroborated​ by dermatoscopic evaluation ​were consecutively enrolled. Data on demographic characteristics, exposure history, and clinical manifestations ​were systematically collated​ using standardized case report forms. Pathogen subtyping ​was performed via​ integrated morphological identification ​supplemented by​ molecular biological analysis of the ITS region. Among 76 enrolled patients, minors (≤15 years) ​accounted for​ 80.26% (61/76), with ≤10-year-olds ​representing​ 91.8% (56/61) of pediatric cases. The overall male-to-female ratio ​was recorded as​ 1:1.05 (37 males vs. 39 females), while pediatric patients (≤15 years) ​exhibited​ a 1.07:1 ratio (31 males vs. 29 females). Animal contact history ​was reported in​ 31 cases (40.79%), scalp trauma in 3 cases (3.95%), and co-occurring superficial fungal infections in 12 cases (15.79%). ​Fungal elements were detected​ via direct microscopic examination in 64 cases (84.21%). Fungal cultures ​obtained​ 45 positive isolates (19 strains in 2023, 26 in 2024), with kerion (inflammatory tinea capitis) ​exhibiting​ the highest culture positivity rate, followed by tinea alba. ​The primary pathogens identified​ were zoophilic . ) (20 cases, 43.79%) and anthropophilic ) (9 strains, 19.57%). Clinical manifestations ​comprised​ kerion (44 cases, 57.89%), tinea alba (27 cases, 35.53%), and black dot tinea (5 cases, 6.58%). Kerion cases ​were predominantly linked to​ (interdigital subtype), whereas tinea alba ​demonstrated​ infections by . Black dot lesions ​were additionally observed​ in infections. The primary affected group is children ≤10 years old, with the most common pathogenic fungus being zoophilic , and clinical classification is predominantly kerion. Dermatologists should pay attention to different transmission routes and pathogen spectra.

Microsporum canis, one of the most widespread dermatophytes worldwide, is a zoonotic microorganism that transmits infection from reservoirs such as cats and dogs to humans. This microorganism is associated with Tinea corporis and other clinical manifestations; however, few studies have used genetic surveillance to determine and characterize the process of zoonotic transmission. In this study, we show a clear example of zoonotic transmission from a cat to an intrafamilial environment, where it caused Tinea corporis by infection with M. canis. Molecular characterization using the b-tubulin gene and Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA analysis made it possible to determine that the six isolates of M. canis obtained in this study belonged to the same genetic variant or clone responsible for reservoir-reservoir or reservoir-human transmission.

Occurrence and diversity of dermatophyte mycoflora in 298 soil samples from Ahvaz, Southwest of Iran was investigated by using the hair-baiting technique. The samples were collected during spring ( n  = 210) and autumn ( n  = 88) of 2015, and the fungal isolates were identified based on the macro- and micro-morphology of colonies and with further ITS-rDNA RFLP and sequencing. Totally, 60 soil samples (20.1%) were positive for dermatophyte growth whose pH varied from 7.0 to 7.9. The highest (26.6%) and the lowest (14.3%) recovery rates were from the animal resorts and the streets soils samples, respectively. Seasonally, 16.7% of the spring samples and 28.4% of the autumn samples were positive. Based on molecular identification, three species of two genera were identified viz. M. fulvum ( n  = 57), M. canis ( n  = 2) and zoophilic Trichophyton interdigitale ( n  = 1). As a specific goal in the study, differentiation of the species in Microsporum gypseum complex was established by measuring the mean length and width of macroconidia in some strains of M. gypseum , M. fulvum and M. incurvatum . Mean size for macroconidia length and width in three species showed that M. gypseum and M. incurvatum can morphologically be differentiated from M. fulvum but not from each other. M. fulvum was the most abundant species isolated from the soils of Ahvaz; however, to comprehensively specify the distribution pattern of geophilic dermatophytes in the soils of this city further investigations are needed. Identification based on micro-morphometric is not effective for species distinction in M. gypseum complex, while molecular procedures based on sequencing of certain DNA regions are the most reliable and applicable strategies for this purpose.

The genera Trichophyton , Microsporum , and Epidermophyton include filamentous fungi that cause dermatophytosis, a superficial infection of the skin, stratum corneum, nail beds, and hair follicles. The ability of dermatophytes to adhere to these substrates and adapt to the host environment is essential for the establishment of infection. Several fungal enzymes and proteins participate in this adaptive response to the environment and to keratin degradation. Transcription factors such as PacC and Hfs1, as well as heat shock proteins, are involved in sensing and adapting to the acidic pH of the skin in the early stages of fungal–host interaction. During dermatophyte growth, with keratin as the sole carbon source, the extracellular pH shifts from acidic to alkaline. This creates an environment in which most of the known keratinolytic proteases exhibit optimal activity. These events culminate in the establishment and maintenance of the infection, which can be chronic or acute depending on the dermatophyte species. This review focuses on these and other molecular aspects of the dermatophyte–host interaction.

A 4-year-old Iranian boy developed erythematous, itchy and annular lesion on his face. Microscopic examination of the scraped samples with 10 % potassium hydroxide (KOH) revealed fungal septate hyphae and arthroconidia. The etiological agent was found to be Microsporum gypseum in mycological examinations. Amplification and restriction digestion of the internal transcribed spacers (ITS) of rDNA was not helpful for identification, but in ITS sequencing the isolate showed 98 % homology to Microsporum incurvatum strain CBS 172.64. Empirical treatment of the patient with griseofulvin for 4 weeks was successful. Other than our isolate, the ITS1 sequences of 38 strains from related species were retrieved from GenBank and phylogenetic tree using maximum likelihood method was constructed. The case isolate clustered apart from other strains of M. incurvatum . Pairwise comparison of ITS1 showed intraspecies variations of 0–13 nucleotides among M. incurvatum strains and an extensive interspecies variation of 33–80 bp and remarkable interspecies size polymorphism between the three sister species in the M. gypseum complex. The high level of ITS1 intraspecific variation is suitable for species identification rather than phylogeographic analysis of M. gypseum complex.

Deep cutaneous and subcutaneous infections caused by dermatophytes are exceptionally uncommon, typically occurring through traumatic inoculation. This clinical report details the complex dermatological journey of a young, immunocompetent 24-year-old girl who reported a rare case of a subcutaneous mycosis caused by Microsporum gypseum. The patient presented with an annular erythematous plaque with centered papules on her left hand, which she referred to as stemming from an insect bite. Initial evaluation at another hospital included a biopsy, which resulted in a preliminary diagnosis of pyoderma gangrenosum. Appropriate treatment with topical steroids and later oral cyclosporine provided no response, leading clinicians to perform a new biopsy and cultural examination; the patient was diagnosed with epidermomycosis and pustular folliculitis caused by M. gypseum, a geophilic dermatophyte. In our patient’s case, terbinafine proved effective, resulting in complete remission. This article aims to emphasize the importance of considering rare conditions such as subcutaneous epidermomycosis when the patient’s medical history provides suggestive clues, particularly if the clinical manifestation aligns with the hypothesis.