Molecular identification of dermatophytes isolated from clinical samples and their antifungal susceptibility pattern

Abstract

newlineThe present study was conducted in the Centre for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research, Adesh University, Bathinda during January 2017 to December 2019 to identify and characterize dermatophytes isolated from 320 subjects. The characterization and identification of isolated fungi was achieved using in-vitro culture, microscopy and molecular techniques. T. mentagrophytes was the most commonly isolated fungus followed by T. rubrum, E. floccosum, T. tonsurans, M. gypseum, T. verrucosum and M. canis. In terms of clinical typesT. corporis followed by T. cruris, T. capitis, T. unguium, T. pedis and T. faciei was the most common type of clinical infection. Random primers newline- OPA11, OPU15, OPAA17 and OPD18 differentiated all the seven dermatophyte species identified. The agar based disk diffusion method demonstrates that among Itraconazole, Miconazole, Fluconazole and Ketoconazole, Itraconazole was the most effective antifungal drug with an inhibition zone 33.75±2.4. The effect of aqueous extracts of Zingiber officinale, Allium sativum, Citrus limonum, Curcuma longa and oil from Cocos nucifera, Melaleuca alternifolia and Azadirachta indica was also investigated as an anti dermatophyte in which Melaleuca alternifolia, Zingiber officinale and Allium sativum were higher effective against all dermatophyte species with zone of inhibition varying from newline35 mm to 45 mm. Phylogenetic relationship of the species T. interdigitale and T. mentagrophytes with known species was studied using ITS1 and ITS4 primers. On the basis of ITS sequencing results, it was resolved that the species T. interdigitale and T. mentagrophytes may be same. newline newline