Introduction: Dermatophytes are a group of fungi which infect keratinized tissues and causes superficial mycoses in humans and animals. The group comprises of three major genera, Trichophyton, Microsporum and Epidermophyton. Among them Trichophyton rubrum is a predominant anthropophilic fungi which causes chronic infections. Although, the infection is superficial and treatable, reinfection/coinfection causes inflation in the treatment cost. Identifying the source and mode of transmission is essential to prevent its transmission. Accurate discrimination is required to understand the clinical (relapse or reinfection) and epidemiological implications of the genetic heterogeneity of this species. Polymorphism in the Non Transcribed Spacer (NTS) region of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) clusters renders an effective way to discriminate strains among T. rubrum.
Aim:To carry out the strain typing of the clinical isolates, Trichophyton rubrum using NTS as a molecular marker. April-2011-March 2013, from Sri Ramachandra Medical Centre, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, were identified by conventional phenotypic methods and included in this prospective study. The isolates were then subjected to Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) targeting two subrepeat elements (SREs), TRS-1 and TRS-2 of the NTS region.
Materials and Methods: Seventy T.rubrum clinical isolates obtained fromResults: Strain-specific polymorphism was observed in both subrepeat loci. Total, nine different strains were obtained on combining both TRS-1 and TRS-2, SREs.
Conclusion:The outcome has given a strong representation for using NTS region amplification in discriminating the T. rubrum clinical isolates. The method can be adapted as a tool for conducting epidemiology and population based study in T. rubrum infections. This will help in future exploration of the epidemiology of T. rubrum.www.jcdr.net Vijayakumar Ramaraj et al., Molecular Strain Typing of Trichophyton rubrum using NTS Region
Phaeohyphomycosis of paranasal sinuses is not very frequent. We here report a case of paranasal sinusitis caused by Fonsecaea pedrosoi in a 53 year old diabetic male, with deviated nasal septum. With surgical correction and antifungal treatment with itraconazole, the patient’s condition improved and he was discharged. Fonsecaea exists in the environment as a saprophyte and its infection is usually not lethal. However in immunocompromised individuals, when there is systemic invasion the mortality rate is high. With limited treatment options available for this fungus, early and prompt identification plays a major role not only in treatment, but also prevents further invasion.
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