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Home / Equine Research Bank / Mycopathologia / Equine Dermatophytosis due to Trichophyton bullosum, a Poorl...
Mycopathologia2015; 180(5-6); 407-419; doi: 10.1007/s11046-015-9931-0

Equine Dermatophytosis due to Trichophyton bullosum, a Poorly Known Zoophilic Dermatophyte Masquerading as T. verrucosum.

Abstract: Trichophyton bullosum is a zoophilic dermatophyte from the Arthroderma benhamiae complex with a poorly known distribution. In this study, we report a case of dermatophytosis caused by T. bullosum in a 6-year-old male horse who had a skin lesion located in a saddle area. The infection spread rapidly to the upper chest and to both sides of the trunk. The dermatophyte was isolated in culture and identified by sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS rDNA). To date, this is the first verified case of animal infection due to T. bullosum in Europe following the 2012 report of human infection in France. We hypothesize that this species can be relatively common in horses and donkeys, but it is confused with other zoophilic species responsible for infections with similar clinical manifestations, and when isolated in culture, it is misidentified as the phenotypically similar T. verrucosum. Previous cases of dermatophytosis caused by T. verrucosum-like dermatophytes in horses and donkeys were reviewed together with human infections transmitted from these animals. This summary estimates possible distribution width of T. bullosum. The taxonomy of T. verrucosum-like dermatophytes is extremely difficult due to lack of original material and poor morphology of species. Molecular genetic methods are necessary to verify the identification of these fungi. ITS1 or ITS2 region of rDNA alone is sufficient for correct identification.
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Publication Date: 2015-08-20 PubMed ID: 26290003DOI: 10.1007/s11046-015-9931-0Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This study documents a case of skin disease in a horse caused by the fungi Trichophyton bullosum, a type of dermatophyte less known than its cousin T. verrucosum, usually mistaken for the latter due to similar symptoms and physical appearances. Researchers believe that this particular species might be quite common among horses and donkeys but it is just commonly misidentified.

Case Study Details

  • The study reports a case of a 6-year-old male horse with a skin infection caused by T. bullosum. The disease started at the saddle area of the horse but then spread quickly to the upper chest and both sides of the trunk.
  • The disease-causing fungus was cultured and the kind of fungus was then identified by analysing the sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS rDNA) of the fungal DNA found in the horse.
  • This is the first verified case of animal infection caused by T. bullosum in Europe since 2012 when a human infection was reported in France.

Analysis and Hypothesis

  • The researchers propound that T. bullosum might be considerably common in horses as well as donkeys; however, it is frequently mistaken with other zoophilic or animal-loving species causing similar-symptom infections.
  • When isolated in culture, T. bullosum is regularly misidentified as the phenotypically or physically similar T. verrucosum.

Review of Past Cases and Methodological Challenges

  • Previous instances of similar skin infections caused by T. verrucosum-like dermatophytes in horses and donkeys, as well as human infections that cropped up from these animals, were reviewed. These reviews enable the researchers to estimate a plausible spread or distribution width of T. bullosum.
  • The taxonomy or classification of T. verrucosum-like dermatophytes is extremely challenging due to the lack of original material and poor morphology of species, making them tough to distinguish from one another.

Identification Strategy

  • Molecular genetic methods are deemed necessary to verify the identification of these fungi since traditional microscopic identification methods seem to fall short.
  • The research asserts that sequencing the ITS1 or ITS2 region of rDNA alone is enough for correctly identifying the fungi.

Cite This Article

APA
Lyskova P, Hubka V, Petricakova A, Dobias R, Cmokova A, Kolarik M. (2015). Equine Dermatophytosis due to Trichophyton bullosum, a Poorly Known Zoophilic Dermatophyte Masquerading as T. verrucosum. Mycopathologia, 180(5-6), 407-419. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11046-015-9931-0

Publication

Mycopathologia
ISSN: 1573-0832
NlmUniqueID: 7505689
Country: Netherlands
Language: English
Volume: 180
Issue: 5-6
Pages: 407-419

Researcher Affiliations

Lyskova, Pavlina
  • Laboratory of Medical Mycology, Department of Parasitology, Mycology and Mycobacteriology Prague, Public Health Institute in Usti nad Labem, Sokolovska 60, 186 00, Prague 8, Czech Republic.
Hubka, Vit
  • Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Benatska 2, 128 01, Praha 2, Czech Republic. hubka@biomed.cas.cz.
  • Laboratory of Fungal Genetics and Metabolism, Institute of Microbiology of the AS CR, v.v.i., Videnska 1083, 142 20, Praha 4, Czech Republic. hubka@biomed.cas.cz.
  • First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague, Katerinska 32, 121 08, Prague 2, Czech Republic. hubka@biomed.cas.cz.
Petricakova, Anna
  • Dermatological outpatients' department, Kojeticka 1021, 277 11, Neratovice, Czech Republic.
Dobias, Radim
  • Laboratory of Clinical Mycology, Public Health Institute in Ostrava, Partyzanske namesti 7, 702 00, Ostrava, Czech Republic.
Cmokova, Adela
  • Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Benatska 2, 128 01, Praha 2, Czech Republic.
  • Laboratory of Fungal Genetics and Metabolism, Institute of Microbiology of the AS CR, v.v.i., Videnska 1083, 142 20, Praha 4, Czech Republic.
Kolarik, Miroslav
  • Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Benatska 2, 128 01, Praha 2, Czech Republic.
  • Laboratory of Fungal Genetics and Metabolism, Institute of Microbiology of the AS CR, v.v.i., Videnska 1083, 142 20, Praha 4, Czech Republic.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Cluster Analysis
  • DNA, Fungal / chemistry
  • DNA, Fungal / genetics
  • DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / chemistry
  • DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / genetics
  • Europe
  • Horse Diseases / diagnosis
  • Horse Diseases / microbiology
  • Horse Diseases / pathology
  • Horses
  • Male
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Mycological Typing Techniques
  • Phylogeny
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Tinea / diagnosis
  • Tinea / microbiology
  • Tinea / pathology
  • Tinea / veterinary
  • Trichophyton / classification
  • Trichophyton / genetics
  • Trichophyton / isolation & purification

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Citations

This article has been cited 4 times.
  1. Lysková P, Dobiáš R, Čmoková A, Kolařík M, Hamal P, Šmatláková K, Hušek J, Mencl K, Mallátová N, Poláčková Z, Krnáčová A, Palkovičová K, Jablonská D, Macháčová J, Drlík Z, Bázsóová D, Jaworská P, Svobodová L, Hubka V. An Outbreak of Trichophyton quinckeanum Zoonotic Infections in the Czech Republic Transmitted from Cats and Dogs.. J Fungi (Basel) 2021 Aug 25;7(9).
    doi: 10.3390/jof7090684pubmed: 34575722google scholar: lookup
  2. Watanabe R, Furuta H, Ueno Y, Nukada T, Niwa H, Shinyashiki N, Kano R. First isolation of Trichophyton bullosum from a horse with dermatophytosis in Japan.. Med Mycol Case Rep 2021 Jun;32:81-83.
    doi: 10.1016/j.mmcr.2021.04.004pubmed: 34012768google scholar: lookup
  3. Metin B, Heitman J. She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not: On the Dualistic Asexual/Sexual Nature of Dermatophyte Fungi.. Mycopathologia 2020 Feb;185(1):87-101.
    doi: 10.1007/s11046-019-00390-3pubmed: 31578669google scholar: lookup
  4. Hayette MP, Sacheli R. Unusual Species of Dermatophytes: Rarely Identified or New?. Mycopathologia 2017 Feb;182(1-2):203-213.
    doi: 10.1007/s11046-016-0066-8pubmed: 27640161google scholar: lookup
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