AUTHOR=Tang Chao , Ahmed Sarah A. , Deng Shuwen , Zhang Lu , Zoll Jan , Al-Hatmi Abdullah M. S. , Meis Jacques F. , Thakur Rameshwari , Kang Yingqian , de Hoog G. Sybren 

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

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.960190

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2022.960190

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>A resistant and hypervirulent dermatophyte from India has been described as a taxonomic novelty, <italic>Trichophyton indotineae</italic>, a species of the <italic>Trichophyton mentagrophytes</italic> 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 <italic>T. mentagrophytes</italic> 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% <italic>T. indotineae</italic> 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.</p>