Molecular characterization of soil inhabitant dermatophytes in Iran

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Ali Rezaei-Matehkolaei and Simin Taghipour

Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Iran

: J Virol Antivir Res

Abstract

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The dermatophytes are a group of keratinophilic fungi with global distribution that invade the stratum corneum of the skin in human and animals and cause spectrum of superficial mycoses, medically termed as dermatophytosis. Ecologically, dermatophytes can be associated with human (anthropophilic species), animals (zoophilic) and environmental soil (geophilic). There is limited reliable data pertaining to the distribution pattern of geophilic dermatophytes from Iran. The aim of this study was to extend the knowledge about distribution of dermatophytes in soils originated from different parts of Iran. A total of 800 soil samples were collected from various spots with likely presence of soil inhabitant dermatophytes. The keratinophilic dermatophytes were isolated based on the hair-baiting method and were subjected to sequencing of the nuclear ITS-rDNA regions. Totally, in 184 (23%) soil samples whose PH ranged from 6.8 to 8.0 a dermatophytes strain was isolated. Based on the sequencing results, Microsporum fulvum was the predominant species (n=177, 96.1%) and other species were as M. gypseum (n=2), Trichophyton interdigitale (n=2), T. terrestre (n=2) and T. vanbreuseghemii (n=1). A very high frequency of M. fulvum along with low frequency of other geophilic species in the soils of Iran signifies the use of molecular based identification strategies for the true characterization of dermatophytes population.

Biography

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Ali Rezaei-Matehkolaei did Ph.D. in Medical Mycology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, 2011 Master of Medical Mycology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, 2006. Ali Rezaei-Matehkolaei has more than 10 years experiences in identification of medically important fungi specially the dermatophytes. He is the author of over 50 scientific publications and conference papers. He has served as an Assistant Professor of Medical Mycology at Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran where he conducted researches in "Deramtophytes" identification and epidemiology and is currently conducting researches on the isolation, identification and antifungal susceptibility testing of keratinophilic fungi from soil, animal and human origins.