Abstract
In recent years, considerable advances have been made in clearing up the phylogenetic relationships within the Arthrodermataceae family. However, certain closely related taxa still contain poorly resolved species boundaries. Here, we tried to elucidate the species composition of the Trichophyton benhamiae species complex using a combined approach consisting of multi-gene phylogenetic analysis based on internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and beta-tubulin (BT) gene regions, morphological analysis, and spectral comparison using MALDI-ToF. We confirmed the existence of 11 different monophyletic clades within the complex representing either species or genetically distinct groups within species. MALDI-ToF spectrometry analysis revealed that most of these clades were readily distinguishable from one another; however, some closely related sister clades, such as T. europaeum and T. japonicum, were often misidentified as their counterpart. The distinct “yellow” and “white” phenotypes of T. benhamiae do not have a clear genetic basis and should thus be considered as different morphotypes of the same species. Strains traditionally considered T. benhamiae can be divided into three main clades: (i) T. benhamiae, (ii) T. europaeum/T. japonicum, and (iii) the phylogenetically distant T. africanum. While T. europaeum and T. japonicum are distinguishable based on their genotype, spectral and morphological analysis did not provide clear delimiting characteristics.
Highlights
Dermatomycoses are one of the most common infections known to humankind; estimates say that 20–25% of individuals will at one point be confronted with a dermatophyte infection [1]
Using a polyphasic approach consisting of multilocus phylogenetic analysis, MALDIToF mass spectroscopy, and morphological analysis, this study aims to clarify the species boundaries in the T. benhamiae complex and to provide clear distinguishing characteristics for the identification of these species in the lab
The phylogenetic tree constructed based on the concatenated internal transcribed spacer (ITS)+BT multiple sequence alignment divides the complex into three major lineages within the T. benhamiaecomplex, namely T. benhamiae, T. erinacei, and T. bullosum-lineages (Figure 1)
Summary
Dermatomycoses are one of the most common infections known to humankind; estimates say that 20–25% of individuals will at one point be confronted with a dermatophyte infection [1]. The dermatophytes (Onygenales, Arthrodermataceae) are a group of filamentous fungi that are capable of infecting keratinized tissues of both humans and animals [2]. These infections of the skin, hair, or nail tissues are called dermatophytoses, commonly known as tinea or ringworm. Speaking, the dermatophytes can be broadly classified into geophilic, zoophilic, and anthropophilic species [3]. The anthropophilic species naturally occur on human keratinous tissues and have mostly lost the ability to mate sexually. Geophilic species can be found in soil feeding on keratinous debris, while zoophilic species have animals as their natural reservoir
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