Detection of emerging genotypes in Trichophyton mentagrophytes species complex: A proposal for handling biodiversity in dermatophytes

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2022.960190

. 2022 Aug 23:13:960190.

doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.960190. eCollection 2022.

Detection of emerging genotypes in Trichophyton mentagrophytes species complex: A proposal for handling biodiversity in dermatophytes

Chao Tang^{1

2}, Sarah A Ahmed², Shuwen Deng³, Lu Zhang³, Jan Zoll², Abdullah M S Al-Hatmi^{2

4}, Jacques F Meis^{2

5

6}, Rameshwari Thakur⁷, Yingqian Kang¹, G Sybren de Hoog^{1

2

4}

Affiliations

¹ The key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education of Guizhou and Key Laboratory of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China.
² Center of Expertise in Mycology, Radboud University Medical Center/Canisius Wilhelmina Hospital, Nijmegen, Netherlands.
³ Department of Medical Microbiology, The People's Hospital of Suzhou New District, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China.
⁴ Natural and Medical Sciences Research Center, University of Nizwa, Nizwa, Oman.
⁵ Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Canisius Wilhelmina Hospital, Nijmegen, Netherlands.
⁶ Bioprocess Engineering and Biotechnology Graduate Program, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil.
⁷ Department of Microbiology, Muzaffarnagar Medical College, Muzaffarnagar, India.

PMID: 36081804
PMCID: PMC9445586
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.960190

Detection of emerging genotypes in Trichophyton mentagrophytes species complex: A proposal for handling biodiversity in dermatophytes

Chao Tang et al. Front Microbiol. 2022.

. 2022 Aug 23:13:960190.

doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.960190. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Chao Tang^{1

2}, Sarah A Ahmed², Shuwen Deng³, Lu Zhang³, Jan Zoll², Abdullah M S Al-Hatmi^{2

4}, Jacques F Meis^{2

5

6}, Rameshwari Thakur⁷, Yingqian Kang¹, G Sybren de Hoog^{1

2

4}

Affiliations

¹ The key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education of Guizhou and Key Laboratory of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China.
² Center of Expertise in Mycology, Radboud University Medical Center/Canisius Wilhelmina Hospital, Nijmegen, Netherlands.
³ Department of Medical Microbiology, The People's Hospital of Suzhou New District, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China.
⁴ Natural and Medical Sciences Research Center, University of Nizwa, Nizwa, Oman.
⁵ Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Canisius Wilhelmina Hospital, Nijmegen, Netherlands.
⁶ Bioprocess Engineering and Biotechnology Graduate Program, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil.
⁷ Department of Microbiology, Muzaffarnagar Medical College, Muzaffarnagar, India.

PMID: 36081804
PMCID: PMC9445586
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.960190

Abstract

A resistant and hypervirulent dermatophyte from India has been described as a taxonomic novelty, Trichophyton indotineae, a species of the Trichophyton mentagrophytes complex. Rapid detection and correct identification of closely similar dermatophytes with different predilections are essential for efficient clinical management. We evaluated the efficacy of rapid diagnostic methods clinical and environmental strains in the T. mentagrophytes complex. The methods included Real-time-PCR, DermaGenius, LAMP, and MALDI-ToF MS, using rDNA ITS sequences as taxonomic standard. The results show that only MALDI-ToF MS can distinguish 96.97% T. indotineae from other closely related species. The complex comprises numerous clones which may differ in anonymous markers but with similar evolutionary behavior. Therefore, we recommend to distinguish species only when they show an appreciable degree of adaptation and thus are clinically significant. The distinction of remaining clonal diversity is an epidemiological query and can be solved by haplotype numbering.

Keywords: Maldi-ToF; Trichophyton indotineae; Trichophyton mentagrophytes species complex; detection; diagnosis; evolution; resistance; taxonomy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

**Figure 1**
Distance dendrogram of MALDI-ToF MS analysis of *T. mentagrophytes* species complex. *T. benhamiae* is outgroup.

**Figure 2**
MALDI-ToF MS in the *T. mentagrophytes* species complex; only variable regions are shown in **(A–D)**.

**Figure 3**
Sexuality with clonal offshoots in terrestrial species **(A)**. Gradual loss of sexuality with longer transmission periods of clonal offshoots in zoophilic species **(B)**. Complete loss of sexuality with specialization of some clones surviving on the human host **(C)**.

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References

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[1] Ameen M. (2010). Epidemiology of superficial fungal infections. Clin. Dermatol. 28, 197–201. doi: 10.1016/j.clindermatol.2009.12.005 - DOI - PubMed

[2] Ameen M. (2010). Epidemiology of superficial fungal infections. Clin. Dermatol. 28, 197–201. doi: 10.1016/j.clindermatol.2009.12.005 - DOI - PubMed

[3] Arentshorst M., Ram A. F. J., Meyer V. (2012). Using non-homologous end-joining-deficient strains for functional gene analyses in filamentous fungi. Plant Fungal Pathogens 835, 133–150. doi: 10.1007/978-1-61779-501-5_9, PMID: - DOI - PubMed

[4] Arentshorst M., Ram A. F. J., Meyer V. (2012). Using non-homologous end-joining-deficient strains for functional gene analyses in filamentous fungi. Plant Fungal Pathogens 835, 133–150. doi: 10.1007/978-1-61779-501-5_9, PMID: - DOI - PubMed

[5] Burmester A., Hipler U. C., Elsner P., Wiegand C. (2022). Point mutations in the squalene epoxidase erg1 and sterol 14-α demethylase erg11 gene of T indotineae isolates indicate that the resistant mutant strains evolved independently. Mycoses 65, 97–102. doi: 10.1111/myc.13393, PMID: - DOI - PubMed

[6] Burmester A., Hipler U. C., Elsner P., Wiegand C. (2022). Point mutations in the squalene epoxidase erg1 and sterol 14-α demethylase erg11 gene of T indotineae isolates indicate that the resistant mutant strains evolved independently. Mycoses 65, 97–102. doi: 10.1111/myc.13393, PMID: - DOI - PubMed

[7] Calderaro A., Motta F., Montecchini S., Gorrini C., Piccolo G., Piergianni M., et al. . (2014). Identification of Dermatophyte species after implementation of the in-house MALDI-TOF MS database. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 15, 16012–16024. doi: 10.3390/ijms150916012, PMID: - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[8] Calderaro A., Motta F., Montecchini S., Gorrini C., Piccolo G., Piergianni M., et al. . (2014). Identification of Dermatophyte species after implementation of the in-house MALDI-TOF MS database. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 15, 16012–16024. doi: 10.3390/ijms150916012, PMID: - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[9] Celestrino G. A., Verrinder Veasey J., Benard G., Sousa M. G. T. (2021). Host immune responses in dermatophytes infection. Mycoses 64, 477–483. doi: 10.1111/myc.13246, PMID: - DOI - PubMed

[10] Celestrino G. A., Verrinder Veasey J., Benard G., Sousa M. G. T. (2021). Host immune responses in dermatophytes infection. Mycoses 64, 477–483. doi: 10.1111/myc.13246, PMID: - DOI - PubMed

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Detection of emerging genotypes in Trichophyton mentagrophytes species complex: A proposal for handling biodiversity in dermatophytes

Affiliations

Detection of emerging genotypes in Trichophyton mentagrophytes species complex: A proposal for handling biodiversity in dermatophytes

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

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