New Record of <b><i>Bipolaris cynodontis</i></b>: An Emerging Human Pathogen Causing Superficial Mycosis in North India

Abstract

Superficial mycosis, a common fungal infection affecting people worldwide are prevalent in the tropical and subtropical countries, mostly caused by the dermatophytes but nowadays, there is an increase in the incidence of these infections being caused by non-dermatophytic fungi and yeasts. Among non-dermatophytes, Bipolaris species, usually known to cause diseases in plants, have also emerged as potent human pathogens in the past years. Reports on Bipolaris species associated with clinical human skin samples are rare worldwide with no reports on B. cynodontis as a causal agent of superficial human skin mycoses from India. We report the first case of superficial mycosis caused by B. cynodontis that affected the feet of a 19-year-old female student from Jammu district, Jammu and Kashmir, India. Thus, the causal agent described in the research communication constitutes a new addition to the list of pathogenic non-dermatophytes associated with human skin.

Novel cases of cutaneous phaeohyphomycosis by Alternaria alstromeriae, Epicoccum tritici and Phialemonium obovatum from North India

“…Similar infection in an immunocompetent female farmer from Maharashtra has also been reported 13 . From Jammu region, dematiaceous fungi Bipolaris cynodontis has been reported as an etiological agent 40 …”

“…13 From Jammu region, dematiaceous fungi Bipolaris cynodontis has been reported as an etiological agent. 40 Alternaria, an ascomycete genus belonging to Pleosporaceae family constitutes one of the most frequently isolated dematiaceous fungus causing diseases in humans. With worldwide distribution, some species of Alternaria exist as saprophytes in soil and others as pathogens either on living or dead and decaying plant material.…”

Aetiology of dermatomycoses from a historical perspective

“…The newer insight into the causation of the types of fungi is being observed, which was also reported in the study carried out at AK Tibbiya College Hospital during thesis work in the year 2022. Documentation of the plant pathogenic fungi becoming the cause of the skin fungal infection among the patients is the latest edition of the information to the etiology of Dermetomycoses [51] . Presently uncommon Dermatophyte species in the patients would not be restricted to specific geographic locations and may spread to different parts of the countries in the future by travellers and or immigrants [52] .…”