A study into the diversity of coral-associated bacteria using culture-dependent and culture-independent approaches in coral Dipsastraea favus from the Gulf of Kutch.

Corals harbour ~25 % of the marine diversity referring to biodiversity hotspots in marine ecosystems. Global efforts to find ways to restore the coral reef ecosystem from various threats can be complemented by studying coral-associated bacteria. Coral-associated bacteria are vital components of overall coral wellbeing. We explored the bacterial diversity associated with coral Dipsastraea favus (D. favus) collected from the Gulf of Kutch, India, using both culture-dependent and metagenomic approaches. In both approaches, phylum Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria predominated, comprising the genera Vibrio, Bacillus, Shewanella, Pseudoalteromonas, Exiguobacterium and Streptomyces. Moreover, the majority of culturable isolates showed multiple antibiotic resistance index ≥0.2. In this study, specific bacterial diversity associated with coral sp. D. favus and its possible role in managing coral health was established. Almost 43 strains from the samples were successfully cultured, creating a base for exploring these microbes for their potential use in coral conservation methods.

[Renaissance of mouse favus : Retrospective analysis of Trichophyton quinckeanum infections at Jena University Hospital in the period 2015-2020]. / Renaissance des Mäusefavus : Retrospektive Analyse der Trichophyton-quinckeanum-Infektionen am Universitätsklinikum Jena im Zeitraum 2015 bis 2020.

The number of Trichophyton quinckeanum infections has increased significantly in recent years. In 2020 in particular, the number of cases increased fivefold compared to 2015. Infections multiplied, especially in the second half of the year, which correlated with the upsurge in field mouse populations. Typical vectors are mice and rats as well as dogs and cats, which hunt the rodents. The animals are usually asymptomatic. In humans, on the other hand, the course is usually more inflammatory corresponding to other zoophilic mycoses. Typical clinical manifestations of the infections are tinea corporis and tinea capitis. Treatment of T. quinckeanum infections is similar to other dermatophyte infections, depending on the severity, location and age of the patient as well as the immune status, previous illnesses and medication. The duration of local therapy should be at least 4 weeks and continued for up to 14 days after the normalization of the skin presentation. Systemic treatment should take place with terbinafine 250 mg once a day orally (in adults). Alternatives are itraconazole, fluconazole and griseofulvin. Only the preparation griseofulvin, which is no longer available in Germany, is approved for children. Alternatively, terbinafine, itraconazole or fluconazole can also be used in children as an "off-label" treatment in an individual healing attempt.

Comprehensive genome and transcriptome analysis of the dermatophyte Trichophyton schoenleinii reveals the candidate pathogenic genes.

BACKGROUND: Trichophyton schoenleinii is an anthropophilic dermatophyte that causes tinea favosa. Nowadays, it remains an important pathogen in some regions of the world, mainly epidemic in Africa and West Asia. Despite the medical importance of T. schoenleinii infections, a high-quality reference genome for T. schoenleinii is still unavailable, neither its transcriptomic profile. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the current study was to improve understanding of the underlying pathogenic mechanism of T. schoenleinii, and to define the candidate pathogenic genes of T. schoenleinii. METHODS: Comprehensive genomic analysis of T. schoenleinii was carried out by Illumina and PacBio sequencing platforms. Transcriptome profiles of T. schoenleinii cultured in vitro in two media containing either keratin or soy protein were determined using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) technology. RESULTS: Here, we present the first draft genome sequence of T. schoenleinii strain T2s, which consists of 11 scaffolds containing 7474 predicted genes. Transcriptome analysis showed that genes involved in keratin hydrolysis have higher expression in T. schoenleinii grown in keratin medium, including genes encoding proteases, cysteine dioxygenase and acetamidase. Other genes with higher expression include genes encoding the components of the pH-responsive signal transduction pathways and transcription factors, many of which may play a role in pathogenicity. CONCLUSION: In summary, this study provides new insights into the pathogenic mechanism of T. schoenleinii and highlights candidate genes for further development of novel targets in disease diagnosis and treatment of tinea favosa.

Nannizzia incurvata as a rare cause of favus and tinea corporis in Cambodia and Vietnam.

Nannizzia (N.) incurvata (formerly Microsporum incurvatum) represents a geophilic dermatophyte which has been previously classified as belonging to the species complex of N. gypsea (formerly Microsporum gypseum). A 42-year-old Vietnamese female from Saxony, Germany, suffered from tinea corporis of the right buttock after she returned from a 2-week-visit to her homeland Vietnam. From skin scrapings of lesions, N. incurvata grew on Sabouraud's dextrose agar. Treatment by ciclopirox olamine cream twice daily for 4 weeks was successful. A 6-year-old Cambodian boy living near river Mekong with contact history to chicken, dogs and cattle suffered from tinea faciei and capitis. Symptoms of the favus-like tinea capitis and tinea faciei were erythema and scaly patches with areas of alopecia. N. incurvata grew on Sabouraud's dextrose agar. The boy was treated with oral terbinafine 125 mg daily, topical miconazole cream and ketoconazole shampoo. The symptoms healed within 4 weeks of treatment. Cultivation of the samples revealed growth of N. incurvata. For confirmation of species identification, the isolates were subject to sequencing of ITS (internal transcribed spacer) region of the rDNA, and addition of the "translation elongation factor 1 α" (TEF 1 α) gene. Sequencing of the ITS region showed 100% accordance with the sequence of N. incurvata deposited at the NCBI database under the accession number MF415405. N. incurvata is a rare, or might be underdiagnosed geophilic dermatophyte described in Sri Lanka and Vietnam until now. This is the first isolation of N. incurvata in Cambodia, and the first description of favus in a child due to this dermatophyte.

Favus of Scrotum Due to Trichophyton rubrum in Immunocompetent Patients: A Clinical, Mycological and Ultrastructural Study.

PURPOSE: To characterize the clinical and mycological features of favus of scrotum due to Trichophyton rubrum. METHODS: A single-site prospective study was carried out in an outpatient dermatology clinic. Microscopic examination and fungal culture were done using skin scrapings. Scales on the scrotum were stained with PAS and visualized by microscopy, including in vivo reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM). Two strains were analyzed by RAPD typing. Scutular lesions were fixed for scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). RESULTS: Cultures of the scale from the scrotum and/or groin in all patients showed a growth of T. rubrum. T. rubrum strains from scrotum and groins in one patient were demonstrated as the same strain by RAPD typing. The average age of patients was 34.1 ± 12.78 years. The mean course was 8.2 ± 5.07 days. All the patients received only topical treatment for 2 weeks without recurrence. Direct smear, calcofluor-white staining and in vivo RCM study of the scrotal favus in patients showed a massive number of septate branching hyphae, while fewer septate hyphae in scales in the groin. Abundant hyphae were found only in the outer layer of the stratum corneum of the scrotum under SEM and TEM with intact bilateral cell walls, and normal nucleus, liposomes and reticulum. Few distorted hyphae structures, cell wall degeneration, degenerated cytoplasm and the autophagy phenomenon could be seen in scales from groin under TEM. CONCLUSIONS: Scrotal favus due to T. rubrum is still a true infection, which most often occurred in immunocompetent patients.

Revival of favus in Japan caused by Trichophyton schoenleinii.

Favus is a type of dermatophytosis known to produce yellow scutula around hair follicles. Most cases of this disease worldwide are infections of Trichophyton schoenleinii. Favus has rarely been reported in Japan throughout the last four decades, and T. schoenleinii has not been clinically isolated in any case during the period. Here, we report a case of favus of vellus hair observed in a 63-year-old Japanese woman. Fungal culture showed negative; however, we detected fungal elements in the crust and hair bulbs by Grocott staining. Pathogenic fungi were identified as T. schoenleinii by polymerase chain reaction-based DNA sequencing, targeting the internal transcribed spacer regions of the rRNA gene using the formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sample. She was successfully treated with p.o. administration of terbinafine and topical application of luliconazole cream.

In Vitro Antifungal Susceptibility Profiles of 12 Antifungal Drugs against 55 Trichophyton schoenleinii Isolates from Tinea Capitis Favosa Patients in Iran, Turkey, and China.

Trichophyton schoenleinii is an anthropophilic dermatophyte mainly causing tinea favosa of the scalp in certain regions of the world, especially Africa and Asia. We investigated the in vitro susceptibilities of 55 T. schoenleinii isolates collected over the last 30 years from Iran, Turkey, and China to 12 antifungals using the CLSI broth microdilution method. Our results revealed that terbinafine and ketoconazole were the most potent antifungal agents among those tested, independently of the geographic regions where strains were isolated.

Favus Diagnosed in Siblings in 1979 / 대한의진균학회지

Favus is a chronic dermatophyte infection of the scalp presented by thick yellow crusts within the hair follicles which leads to scarring alopecia. Favus is associated with poor hygiene and malnutrition so that it is seen almost exclusively in Africa, the Middle East and parts of South America with abruptly decreased incidence nowadays. The last report referring favus was published in 1996 in Korea, which might have historical significance. Herein, we report favus diagnosed in siblings in 1979.

Tinea capitis caused by Trichophyton rubrum mimicking favus.

Favus is an uncommon form of tinea capitis (TC) currently seen in geographic areas with poor sanitation and limited access to health care such as emerging nations. Several variants of this condition have been described including one exhibiting a plaque composed of parchmentlike material. The makeup of this plaque has not been described. Tinea capitis is rare in adults, particularly when the infectious agent is Trichophyton rubrum, and affected patients often exhibit comorbidities associated with diminished immune surveillance. This case report describes an elderly woman with TC due to T rubrum mimicking a rare form of favus.

Histopathologically Confirmed Tinea Capitis Misdiagnosed as Psoriasis / 대한의진균학회지

No abstract available.

[A recurrent case of adult favus successfully treated with terbinafine]. / Terbinafi n ile basarili olarak tedavi edilen bir eriskin nüks favus olgusu.

Favus or tinea capitis favosa, is a chronic inflammatory dermatophytosis of the scalp. The disease is particularly common in children aged 6 to 10 years, more often in boys, and it also occurs in adults. Human-to-human transmission is therefore possible. Anthropophilic Trichophyton schöenleinii is responsible for over 95% of favus cases. In addition, there are rare cases of anthropophilic T.violaceum, zoophilic (T.verrucosum, T.quinckeanum, and Microsporum canis) and geophilic M.gypseum species recorded as agents of favus. It is also reported in mice (T.quinckeanum), poultry (M.gallinae), and cats (M.incurvatum). Favus is common in Iran, Nigeria, and China, however it has been reported rarely in the last two decades in Turkey. Although Turkish records are not sufficient to indicate an accurate incidence rate, favus is still present in Turkey. In this report, a 20-year-old female with favus was presented. She had squames and areas of alopecia on the right frontoparietal area of her scalp. Scalp biopsy and hair follicle samples were taken for histopathological examination and fungal culture. According to the conventional identification by mycological methods and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequencing analysis, the pathogen was identified as T.schöenleinii. The patient was treated with oral terbinafine (250 mg/day) for 4 weeks and topical isoconazole and ketoconazole for 6 weeks. Clinical recovery was observed after 6 weeks, however, fungal culture could not be repeated. Six months after the initial presentation, the patient's symptoms recurred due to the poor adherence and T.schöenleinii was repeatedly grown in culture. Antifungal treatment was administered with the same drugs for the same period. There was a clinical and mycological recovery 8 months after initial presentation. Favus, which is not frequently observed in adults, is an uncommon disease. Confusion arises in its diagnosis because other diseases have similar clinical appearances, and asymptomatic carriage have also been reported. For these reasons, and because of improvements in health conditions, treatment might be delayed. With accurate assessment of the patient's medical history, the clinical characteristics of the disease, and results of laboratory analyses, coupled with effective mycologist-clinician collaboration, it is possible for the patient to continue a healthy social life. Consequently, favus is still an important health problem encountered in Turkey.

Tiña favosa, historia de una leyenda / Generalized Favus: The Story of a Legendary Case of Tinea Favosa

El Museo Olavide, desde su inauguración en 1882 hasta su desaparición en 1965, ha sufrido múltiples vicisitudes, algunas de ellas no contrastadas de forma oficial debido a la desaparición durante la Guerra Civil de la documentación existente en la Diputación de Madrid. El museo estaba localizado inicialmente en el Hospital de San Juan de Dios en Atocha. El hecho de que en este hospital predominasen las enfermedades venéreas hizo que muchas «noticias» que hoy tenemos sea a través de periódicos o revistas de la época, en muchos casos con cierto carácter sensacionalista. Con la recuperación de las figuras del museo en diciembre de 2005 encontramos abundante documentación que sirvió para que se pudiera identificar a los 3 escultores, Zofío, Barta y López Álvarez, así como historiales clínicos de las figuras. Con ello se pudo desmitificar leyendas existentes en torno al museo, a los escultores y a los enfermos, una de estas es la del «muchacho de la tiña favosa» (AU)

From the moment the Olavide Museum opened its doors in 1882 until its content was packed up around 1965 and lost sight of for a time, it underwent a succession of changes. Some of those changes cannot be fully documented now because the archives of the Provincial Council (Diputación) of Madrid were lost during the Spanish Civil War. The museum was initially housed in Hospital de San Juan de Dios, in the neighborhood of Atocha. Because this hospital treated mainly venereal diseases, much of the information we have about it comes from newspapers or magazines of the period, and their accounts were often sensationalistic. When a large number of the museum’s wax figures were rediscovered, along with a great many accompanying documents, in December 2005, the material allowed 3 sculptors -Zofío, Barta, and López Álvarez- to be identified. Case histories corresponding to the figures were also among the papers found. As a result, the truth about certain legends associated with the museum, the sculptors, and the patients could be unraveled. Among the patients whose stories were brought to light was one referred to as the boy with generalized tinea favosa, or crusted ringworm (AU)

Evolution of tinea capitis in the Nanchang area, Southern China: a 50-year survey (1965-2014).

Tinea capitis remains a common public health problem worldwide especially in developing areas. Aetiologic agents and clinical pattern vary with geography and history of socioeconomic conditions. Three community surveys and a prospective study were carried out over the past 50 years (1965-2014) in the Qingyunpu District of Nanchang, Southern China. Clinical presentation and spectrum of aetiological agents were monitored to understand the evolution of tinea capitis. In 1965 favus was highly epidemic and Trichophyton schoenleinii presented as the overwhelming aetiological agents of scalp infection in the study area, with a prevalence of 3.41% of the population. During a governmental campaign to eliminate tinea capitis initiated in mid of 1960s, favus was successfully controlled and the prevalence decreased to less than 0.01% in 1977. After that period, clinical presentation and spectrum of fungi changed with social development. Trichophyton schoenleinii was replaced by Trichophyton violaceum and Trichophyton mentagrophytes. Nowadays, the species corresponds with a dominant black dot type of tinea capitis in the Nanchang area. The prevalence of causative agents of tinea capitis is not only related to geography but also to socioeconomic factors. Multiple factors have to be considered for the management for control of this disease.

Generalized favus: the story of a legendary case of tinea favosa.

From the moment the Olavide Museum opened its doors in 1882 until its content was packed up around 1965 and lost sight of for a time, it underwent a succession of changes. Some of those changes cannot be fully documented now because the archives of the Provincial Council (Diputación) of Madrid were lost during the Spanish Civil War. The museum was initially housed in Hospital de San Juan de Dios, in the neighborhood of Atocha. Because this hospital treated mainly venereal diseases, much of the information we have about it comes from newspapers or magazines of the period, and their accounts were often sensationalistic. When a large number of the museum's wax figures were rediscovered, along with a great many accompanying documents, in December 2005, the material allowed 3 sculptors-Zofío, Barta, and López Álvarez-to be identified. Case histories corresponding to the figures were also among the papers found. As a result, the truth about certain legends associated with the museum, the sculptors, and the patients could be unraveled. Among the patients whose stories were brought to light was one referred to as the boy with generalized tinea favosa, or crusted ringworm.

Goya and tinea favosa

A case of a tinea favosa involving the scalp of a child represented in the painting "Boys climbing a tree" (Muchachos trepando a un árbol), by Francisco Goya y Lucientes, with pictorial representation of favic scutula and consequent alopecia.

Goya and tinea favosa.

A case of a tinea favosa involving the scalp of a child represented in the painting "Boys climbing a tree" (Muchachos trepando a un árbol), by Francisco Goya y Lucientes, with pictorial representation of favic scutula and consequent alopecia.

Cat favus caused by Microsporum incurvatum comb. nov.: the clinical and histopathological features and molecular phylogeny.

Favus is a distinctive form of infection that is caused by exclusively dermatophytes. Its clinical presentation is characterized by scutula, which are concave, thick fungal crusts. The best-known examples of human scalp favus are caused by Trichophyton schoenleinii and those of mouse favus are caused by T. quinckeanum. However, other dermatophytes, such as T. violaceum, T. verrucosum, Microsporum audouinii, M. gallinae, M. gypseum, and M. canis, have been reported sporadically to cause favic lesions. Favus on cats has rarely been mentioned in the literature, and the pathogens with which it has been associated are, for the most part, unknown. Here, we examine four cat favus cases, focusing on clinical presentations and histopathological features. In all cases the etiologic agent was identified as M. incurvatum based on its morphological characteristics and sequences of internal transcribed spacers (ITS) of nuclear ribosomal DNA. Phylogenetic analysis using the neighbor-joining method, which is based on ITS, showed that these four isolates belonged to two strains of M. incurvatum; one strain was a new combination from the basionym Nannizzia incurvata.