Subtyping Options for Microsporum canis Using Microsatellites and MLST: A Case Study from Southern Italy

Abstract

Microsporum canis is considered one of the most common zoophilic dermatophyte species causing infections in animals and humans worldwide. However, molecular epidemiological studies on this dermatophyte are still rare. In this study, we aimed to analyse the population structure and relationships between M. canis strains (n = 66) collected in southern Italy and those isolated from symptomatic and asymptomatic animals (cats, dogs and rabbits) and humans. For subtyping purposes, using multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and multilocus microsatellite typing (MLMT), we first used a limited set of strains to screen for variability. No intraspecies variability was detected in six out of the eight reference genes tested and only the ITS and IGS regions showed two and three sequence genotypes, respectively, resulting in five MLST genotypes. All of eight genes were, however, useful for discrimination among M. canis, M. audouinii and M. ferrugineum. In total, eighteen microsatellite genotypes (A–R) were recognized using MLMT based on six loci, allowing a subdivision of strains into two clusters based on the Bayesian iterative algorithm. Six MLMT genotypes were from multiple host species, while 12 genotypes were found only in one host. There were no statistically significant differences between clusters in terms of host spectrum and the presence or absence of lesions. Our results confirmed that the MLST approach is not useful for detailed subtyping and examining the population structure of M. canis, while microsatellite analysis is a powerful tool for conducting surveillance studies and gaining insight into the epidemiology of infections due to this pathogen.

Identification of Familial Infections Using Multilocus Microsatellite Typing in Tinea Corporis due to <i>Microsporum canis</i>

“…Genotype analysis of M. canis strains using MLMT was useful in identifying infection routes and understanding changes in genotype spread 1,[7][8][9] , and it has been applied to clinical settings. At present, there are no reports demonstrating the correlations between genotype and clinical type or significant differences by region, but M. canis exhibits clonal reproduction, thus pathogenicity and drug resistance may also be associated with specific genotypes.…”

“…At present, there are no reports demonstrating the correlations between genotype and clinical type or significant differences by region, but M. canis exhibits clonal reproduction, thus pathogenicity and drug resistance may also be associated with specific genotypes. Further study should clarify the relationship between MS markers and characterization of M. canis 1,[7][8][9][10] .…”

Human adaptation and diversification in the Microsporum canis complex

“…ITS1/ITS4 or ITS1F/NL4 (Aneke et al 2021 ) were used to amplify the ITS (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2) rDNA region. The partial β-tubulin II ( tub2 ) was amplified using the primers BT-2a/T2 (Choi et al 2012 ).…”