Abstract
Malassezia is a genus of lipophilic yeasts residing on the skin of warm-blooded animals. The correlation between specific species and their involvement in skin diseases has been well researched. However, only very few studies have investigated the distribution of Malassezia spp. on the healthy skin of patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The purpose of this work was to analyze whether the composition of Malassezia spp. isolated from the skin of the HIV-infected patients differs from that of healthy individuals. The study included a total of 96 subjects, who were divided into two equally sized groups: HIV-seropositive and HIV-seronegative. The specimens were collected from the subjects by swabbing four anatomical sites (face, chest, back, and scalp). Species were identified using phenotype-based methods, and the identification of strains isolated from the HIV-seropositive patients was confirmed by PCR sequencing of the rDNA cluster. Malassezia spp. were isolated from 33 (69%) HIV-seropositive patients and 38 (79%) healthy volunteers. It was found that men were much more likely to have their heads colonized with Malassezia spp. than women. The most prevalent species on the skin of both HIV-seropositive and HIV-seronegative individuals were Malassezia sympodialis, M. globosa, and M. furfur, albeit at different proportions in the two populations. The diversity of Malassezia spp. was the highest on the face of the HIV-seropositive patients (Shannon–Weiner Index H = 1.35) and lowest on the back of the healthy volunteers (H = 0.16). The phenotype- and molecular-based identification methods were congruent at 94.9%. It was observed a tendency that the HIV-seropositive patients had higher CD4+ cell counts, indicating higher colonization with Malassezia spp.
Highlights
Malassezia is a genus of lipophilic yeasts residing on the skin of warm-blooded animals
Some published studies suggested that distinct operational taxonomic units exist, and so the lists of species are not closed yet and the discovery of new species can be expected in the future3. Currently, the interactions between Malassezia spp. and the human host is intensively investigated, especially due to the fact that under certain conditions, these commensal fungi may behave as pathogens, causing skin disorders and even invasive infections
Six of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-seropositive patients reported the presence of the following skin diseases: pityriasis versicolor (1), folliculitis (3), seborrhoeic dermatitis (SD) (1), and atopic dermatitis (AD) (1)
Summary
Malassezia is a genus of lipophilic yeasts residing on the skin of warm-blooded animals. Only very few studies have investigated the distribution of Malassezia spp. on the healthy skin of patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The purpose of this work was to analyze whether the composition of Malassezia spp. isolated from the skin of the HIV-infected patients differs from that of healthy individuals. Malassezia spp. were isolated from 33 (69%) HIV-seropositive patients and 38 (79%) healthy volunteers. The diversity of Malassezia spp. was the highest on the face of the HIV-seropositive patients (Shannon– Weiner Index H = 1.35) and lowest on the back of the healthy volunteers (H = 0.16). It was observed a tendency that the HIV-seropositive patients had higher CD4+ cell counts, indicating higher colonization with Malassezia spp. It has been reported that African American females in total have higher levels of wax esters than Caucasian American females[7]
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