Dermatophytes
VM 231
Dr.rer.med. HOZA.A.S
DR. RER. MED.HOZA. A.S CVMBS DEPARTMENT OF VETERINARY MICROBIOLOGY,
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PARASITOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY
Dermatophytes
A group of septate fungi
Members of the phylum Ascomycota
Have affinity for keratinized structures; colonize and invade skin, hair and
nails
More than 30 spp are recognized in three anamorphic genera:
Microsporum
Trichophyton
Epidermophyton
They were originally placed in the Fungi Imperfecti
Several species are capable of reproducing sexually and are placed in
the teleomorphic genus Arthroderma, with dual names referring to the
anamorphic and teleomorphic forms
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Geographic Distribution
Optimal conditions
◦ Tropics/subtropics
◦ Warm, humid environment
Some worldwide
◦ M. canis, M. nanum, T.
mentagrophytes,
T. verrucosum, T. equinum
Some regionally limited
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Dermatophytes
Arthrospores (arthroconidia) are the infectious forms often associated
with tissue invation
They are released by fragmentation of hyphae in keratinized
structures
These resistant forms can remain viable for more than 12 months in
suitable environments in buildings
Grow slowly on specially formulated laboratory media e.g SDA; some
require additional growth factors supplied by addition of yeast extract
Dermatophytes are strictly aerobes, tolerate cyclohexamide in media
Macroconidia and microconidia are produced in culture
Colonies of many dermatophytes are often pigmented
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Dermatophytes
Colonial morphology and type of Macroconidia produced are used for
identification
They are responsible for Dermatophytosis with catarcteristic circular
skin lesions (ringworm)
Affect many animal species
It is a zoonotic disease and most human infections are due to
Microsporum canis
Dermatophytes can be grouped on the basis of their habitat and host
preferences as:
geophilic
zoophilic
anthropophilic (rarely infect animals)
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Dermatophytes: Usual habitat
Zoophilic group Geophilic group Anthropophilic group
Microsporum canis Microsporum cookei Epidermophyton
floccosum
M. gallinae M. gypseum M audounii
Trychophyton equinum M. nanum M ferrugineum
T. mentagrophytes M. persicolor T rubrum
T. verrucosum T. simii T schoenleinii
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Dermatophytes: Usual habitat
Geophilic dermatophytes inhabit and replicate in the soil in
association with decomposing keratinous materials like hairs or
feathers
Animals can acquire infection with geophilic dermatophytes from
soil or from contact with infected animals
Zoophilic and anthropophilic dermatophytes are obligate pathogens
which are unable to replicate in soil.
Their existence as pathogens of keratinized structures usually
corresponds with an inability to reproduce sexually
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Dermatophytes: Usual habitat
Dermatophytes growing on keratinized structures rarely produce
macroconidia and consequently rely on the production of
arthrospores for transmission
Each zoophilic species tends toparasitize a particular animal species
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Laboratory recognition and differentiation
Specimen Collection
Hair
Plucked, not cut, from edge of lesion
Skin
Wash, scrape from margin of lesion
Nails
Scrapings from nail bed or infected area
Transport in sterile petri dish
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Laboratory recognition and differentiation
Individual species are identified mainly by:
Colonial morphology and
The microscopic appearance of macroconidia, chlamydospores
or other structures
The obverse and reverse of each colony should be examined
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Laboratory recognition and differentiation
Macroconidia morphology is assessed under low or high magnification
in preparations or transparent adhesive tape mounts of colony samples
stained with lactophenol cotton blue
Other structures such as spiral hyphae, microconidia or
chlamydospores can be used for differentiation
Special growth requirements can be determined using commercially
available trichophyton agar
Control medium, designated trichophyton agar 1 (T1), is a casein
basal agar
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Laboratory recognition and differentiation
Other media, produced by adding growth factors to the basal agar:
T3 containing thiamine and inositol,
T4 containing only thiamine and
T5 containing nicotinic acid
Trichophyton verrucosum, which has a requirment for thiamine and
sometimes for inositol, usually grows on T3 and T4 media
Trichophyton equinum requires nicotinic acid for growth
T. equinum var. autotrophicum does not
Culture on T1 and T5 can be used to differentiate these variants
Trichophyton mentagrophytes hydrolyses urea when grown on
Christensen urea agar
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Laboratory Diagnosis
Identification
Physiologic tests
◦ Urea hydrolysis – Rice grain media
◦ Hair perforation – Vitamin requirements
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Laboratory recognition and differentiation
Temperature tolerance tests are used for differentiating T.verrucosum
and T. mentagrophytes, which grow well at 37oC, from other
dermatophytes which do not tolerate this temperature
In vitro hair perforation tests - sometimes used to distinguish atypical
isolates of T. mentagrophytes from T. rubrum and atypical M. canis from
T. equinum.
M. canis and T. mentagrophytes penetrate hair shafts forming
wedge-shaped dark blue structure
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Laboratory recognition and differentiation
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Laboratory recognition and differentiation
Dermatophyte test medium (DTM) has been formulated to differentiate
dermatophytes from contaminating fungi.
Phenol red is used as a pH indicator in the medium
Growth of dermatophytes result in alkaline metabolic products and
the colour of the medium changes to red
NB:
Some contaminating fungi can also induce colour change
Colour change in DTM can obscure the characteristic
pigmentation necessary for differentiation of dermatophytes
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Transmission
Contact with:
◦ Arthrospores
◦ Asexual spores
formed in the hyphae
of the parasitic stage
◦ Conidia
◦ Sexual or asexual spores formed in the “free-
living” environmental stage
Growing hairs or skin are infected
◦ Contains essential nutrients
Modes of transmission
◦ Contact with infected animals/humans
◦ Airborne hairs/scales, Fomites, Soil
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Disease in Animals
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Species Affected
All domestic animals are susceptible to dermatophytes
Dogs and cats
Cattle
Sheep and goats
Horses
Swine
Rodents, rabbits
Birds
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Clinical Signs
Incubation period: 7 days to 4 weeks
As in humans, dermatophytes grow only in keratinized tissues
Clinical signs
Alopecia
Scaling, crusts
Erythema, pruritus
“Ringworm” appearance uncommon
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Morbidity and Mortality
Small animals
Prevalence rates vary widely
Cats > dogs
Subclinical infection in cats
Livestock
Cold climates, animal condition, grooming behaviors
Young > old
Generally self-limiting
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Dogs
Puppies
Small circles of alopecia
Pale skin scales in center
Develops a crust in later stages
M. canis most common
Usually self-limiting
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Cats
Often subclinical
Longhaired cats
Kittens symptomatic
Focal alopecia
Grooming behaviors spread infection
M. canis most common
Self-limiting (short-haired cats)
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Cattle
Small focal lesions to extensive,
generalized skin involvement
Gray-white, crusty dry areas
Alopecia
T. verrucosum most common
Usually self- limiting
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Horses
Most lesions found in areas of contact with saddles or other
tack
Pruritus
Alopecia, thickened skin
May resemble papular urticaria
T. equinum most common
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Sheep and Goats
Show lambs
Circular, alopecic areas
with thick scabs on the
head, neck, and face
Widespread lesions
under wool
T. verrucosum
most common
Usually self-limiting
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Swine
Wrinkled lesions covered by thin,
brown, easily removed scab
Often asymptomatic in adult swine
M. nanum most common
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Rodents, Rabbits
Rodents
Often asymptomatic
Alopecia, erythema, scales
Rabbits
Young animals
Focal alopecia, erythema, crusts, scabs around eyes, nose, ears, and
feet
T. mentagrophytes most common
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Birds
Alopecia
Especially head and neck
Scaling
Auto-mutilation
Feather plucking
T. gallinae most common
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Prevention and Control
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Diagnosis
Wood’s lamp examination
Detects fluorescence
Potassium hydroxide microscopy
Detects hyphae and conidia in skin scrapings or hair
Fungal cultures
Required to identify organism
Skin or nail biopsies
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Laboratory Diagnosis
Direct Examination
Examine hair for fluorescence
Wood’s lamp
Yellow green fluorescence = positive
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Laboratory Diagnosis
Direct Examination
Examine specimen for fungal
elements
10% KOH preparation
Calcofluor white stain
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Treatment
Animals
Disease usually self-limiting
Treatment speeds recovery, decreases risk of transmission to
others
shampoos for dogs and cats
Onychomycosis difficult to cure
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Prevention
Control of animal disease
Isolate and treat infected animals, disinfect premises and fomites
Culture newly acquired animals
Wear appropriate PPE
Gloves and protective clothing when in contact with infected animals
Vaccines
M. canis vaccine for cats
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Disinfection
Susceptible to:
Benzalkonium chloride
Household bleach
Strong detergents
Must remove keratin-containing material before disinfection
Shed skin, hairs
Vacuuming
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Aspergillus spp
VM 231
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General features
Members of phylum Ascomycota
Ubiquitous, saprophytic moulds with septate hyaline hyphae
The genus contains more than 190 species, only a limited number
cause opportunistic infections in animals and humas
Rapidly growing pigmented colonies
Pigmented conidia formed from phialides borne on vesicles
Respiratory pathogens are acquired by inhalation of spores
Aspergillus fumigatus, responsible for the majority of infections in
animals
Toxins elaborated by Aspergillus flavus in stored food cause
aflatoxicosis
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Usual habitat
Aspergilli are common soil inhalation and also found in large numbers in
decomposing organic matter
Aspergillus fumigatus often occurs in overheated, poor quality hay and
in compost heaps
Aspergillus species are present in dust and air
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Recognition of Aspergillus species
Aspergillus spp grow on standard laboratory media like SDA
Differentiation is difficult
Presumptive identification may be made on the basis of colonial
appearance and the conidial arrangement on sporing heads
Colonies can be upto 5 cm in diameter after incubation for 5 days
The colour of the reverse side is pale yellow to light tan
The colour of the obverse side is determined by the pigmentation of the
conidia
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Recognition of Aspergillus species
A. fumigus colonies become velvety or granular and bluish green with
narrow white peripheries.
Older colonies are slate grey
A. niger colonies are black and granular, features imparted by their large
pigmented sporing heads
A. flavus colonies are pigmented with fluffy texture
A. terrus colonies are cinnamon brown with granular texture
Sporing heads, stained with lactophenol cotton blue and examined with
low and high dry magnification, have characteristic features
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Sporing heads of two Aspergillus spp
Features used for
differentiation
Size, shape of
vesicles,
position of
phialides and
the size, shape
and colour of
conidia
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Recognition of Aspergillus species
Since the colonies of the species can be similar in appearance
microscopic differentiation of A. fumigatus from some Penicillium spp
may be necessary.
Conidiophores of Penicillium species often posses sceondary
branches (metulae), bearing several phialides
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Diagnostic procedures
Certain specific clinical conditions may suggest the involvement of
Aspergillus species e.g guttural pouch mycosis
Endoscopic examination can be used to detect lessions in nasal cavity
and guttural pouch
Confirmation- demonstration of tissue invation in biopsy specimens or
tissues from post-mortem
Tissue sections stained by methenamine silver or by the PAS method may
reveal hyphal invation
Colonial morphology and appearance of sporing heads including conidia
Molecular techniques like PCR
Serological tests based on growth phase or hyphal-specific antigens of A.
fumigatus
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Clinical infections in domestic animals
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