Lxxxiii.—malassezia Furfur, the Cause of Tinea Versicolor

A rabbit model of ear otitis established using the Malassezia pachydermatis strain C23 from dogs

“…were unsuccessful due to natural recovery, indicating that the healthy immune system can effectively cope with these pathogens. In 1940, Moore et al [27] exposed four species to Malassezia furfur, rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, and mice, by direct application on the skin but found no signs of infection, while intradermal or intratesticular inoculation caused long-term infection. It is also possible to infect guinea pigs with M. furfur, but this requires daily direct inoculation on intact skin for at least 7 days [28].…”

In Vitro or in Vivo Models, the Next Frontier for Unraveling Interactions between Malassezia spp. and Hosts. How Much do We Know?

“…Mammalian in vivo fungal infection models include mice, rats, guinea pigs, dogs, and rabbits [54,57,84,85]. In fungi, these models have allowed for the elucidation of the role of virulence factors, like the formation of biofilms of Candida albicans using rabbits and rats as infection models [57].…”

“…The first attempts to develop a suitable model for Malassezia failed because an infection could not be established in the animal model or the infection was resolved in a short time period. In 1940, Moore et al inoculated M. furfur directly on the intact skin of rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, and mice, which resulted in no establishment of the infection unless they were infected by intracutaneous or intratesticular inoculation [85]. The evaluation of the efficacy of antifungal treatments against M. furfur in guinea pigs was possible but required daily direct inoculation on intact skin for one week, which caused skin alteration that resembled SD [89].…”