Detection and identification of Malassezia species in domestic animals and aquatic birds by PCR-RFLP.
Abstract: The present study aimed at detection and species-level identification of the Malassezia yeasts in domestic animals and aquatic birds by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Samples were collected using tape strips and swabs from 471 animals including 97 horses, 102 cattle, 105 sheep, 20 camels, 60 dogs, 30 cats, 1 hamster, 1 squirrel, 50 aquatic birds and 5 turkeys. Tape-strip samples were examined by direct microscopy. All samples were inoculated on modified Leeming and Notman agar medium. DNA extracted from the yeast colonies was amplified by PCR using primers specific for 26S rDNA. RFLP of the PCR products was performed using Hin6I enzyme, and PCR and RFLP products were visualized by agarose gel electrophoresis. Malassezia yeasts were detected at the following frequencies: 15.46% in horses, 12.74% in cattle, 12.38% in sheep, 28.33% in dogs, 26.66% in cats and 26% in aquatic birds. Eighty colonies of 6 species were isolated: Malassezia globosa 41.25%, Malassezia furfur 22.5%, Malassezia restricta 15%, Malassezia sympodialis 15%, Malassezia pachydermatis 5% and Malassezia slooffiae 1.25%. Therefore different lipophilic Malassezia species are found in a wide diversity of animals and aquatic birds. PCR-RFLP is a suitable technique for identification of different Malassezia species.
Publication Date: 2015-01-01 PubMed ID: 27175148PubMed Central: PMC4789237
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This research looked at how to effectively detect and identify different species of the yeast, Malassezia, in domestic animals and aquatic birds using PCR-RFLP – a specific laboratory technique.
Detailed Explanation
The study’s main goal was to identify and determine the prevalence of Malassezia yeast species in a wide variety of animals, including domestic animals like horses, cattle, dogs, cats and others, as well as aquatic birds. This was done by using a method called polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP).
- The researchers collected samples using tape strips and swabs from 471 animals. The range of animals was very diverse, from horses and dogs to a hamster and a squirrel.
- After collection, the samples were examined under a microscope and cultured on modified Leeming and Notman agar, a media often used to grow and isolate these types of yeast.
- Next, they extracted DNA from these yeast colonies and amplified (or made copies of) the DNA using a technique called polymerase chain reaction (PCR), with specific markers for 26S rDNA, a component of the yeast’s genetic material.
- They then used another technique called restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) on these PCR products. In RFLP, a specific enzyme (in this case Hin6I) is used to cut the DNA at specific sequences, creating fragments of varying lengths.
- These fragments were then separated and visualized using agarose gel electrophoresis, which sorts DNA fragments by length. By comparing these patterns of DNA fragments, the researchers could distinguish between different yeast species.
- The results showed that Malassezia yeasts were present on a number of animals at varying frequencies, including in 15.46% of horses, 12.74% of cattle, 12.38% of sheep, 28.33% of dogs, 26.66% of cats, and 26% of aquatic birds.
- The researchers were able to isolate six different species of Malassezia, with Malassezia globosa being the most common, found in 41.25% of the samples.
In conclusion, the researchers found evidence of various Malassezia yeast species present in a wide diversity of domestic animals and aquatic birds. The PCR-RFLP method was found to be suitable for the purpose of identifying these different yeast species.
Cite This Article
APA
Zia M, Mirhendi H, Toghyani M.
(2015).
Detection and identification of Malassezia species in domestic animals and aquatic birds by PCR-RFLP.
Iran J Vet Res, 16(1), 36-41.
Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Basic Sciences, Khorasgan (Isfahan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran;
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health and Institute of Public Health Researches (Isfahan Center), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran;
- Department of Animal Sciences, Khorasgan (Isfahan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran.
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Citations
This article has been cited 5 times.- Hobi S, Cafarchia C, Romano V, Barrs VR. Malassezia: Zoonotic Implications, Parallels and Differences in Colonization and Disease in Humans and Animals. J Fungi (Basel) 2022 Jul 4;8(7).
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