Update on dermatophytosis in Mashhad, Northeastern Iran, emergence of infection with .

BACKGROUND

Dermatophytosis is a common global superficial mycosis caused by a group of keratinophilic moulds known as dermatophytes that invade the skin and keratinized tissues such as hair and nails of humans and animals. This study takes identification of a collection of clinical dermatophyte isolates by using partial sequencing of translation elongation factor-1α () gene aiming both to update the epidemiological status of dermatophytosis in Mashhad, Northeastern Iran and to corroborate the efficacy of for species-level identification of dermatophytes.

METHOD

The demographic data related to 87 culture-positive dermatophytes isolated from patients clinically suspected to have dermatophytosis were collected. The dermatophyte isolates were subjected to a partial polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-sequencing of gene by using specific pan-dermatophyte primers. The data were analysed by SeqMan software, the sequences were compared and aligned with the GenBank database and the isolates were identified.

RESULTS

Identification based on partial sequence was successful for all isolates. The identified dermatophyte isolates in decreasing order were as 19 (22%), 19 (22%), 13 (15%), 10 (11.5%), 9 (10.3%), 7 (8%), 5 (5.7%), 2 (2.2%), 2 (2.2%) and 1 (1.1%). The isolates have been associated with clinical forms of tinea corporis ( = 38; 43.7%), tinea faciei ( = 13; 15%), tinea cruris ( = 12; 13.9%), tinea manuum ( = 7; 8%), tinea unguium ( = 7; 8%), tinea capitis ( = 7; 8%) and tinea pedis ( = 3; 3.4%).

CONCLUSION

Dermatophytosis has yet remained a public health problem in Northeastern Iran, and infection with new and less frequent species, e.g., , and have emerged. The gene partial sequencing reconfirmed the resolution power of this locus for the determination of species boundaries in dermatophytes.