Genetic Evolutionary Profile of Dermatophytes Isolated from Tinea Capitis Patients in Iraq
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22317/jcms.v12i3.2180Keywords:
Tinea Capitis, Arthrodermataceae, DNA, Ribosomal Spacer, Sequence Analysis, DNAAbstract
Objective: Tinea capitis remains a significant public health challenge worldwide, particularly among pediatric populations in developing regions. This study was designed to investigate the genetic diversity, species distribution, and evolutionary relationships of Trichophytonspp. isolated from tinea capitis patients.
Methods: Fifty-four clinical specimens (skin scrapings and hair fragments) were collected from outpatients presenting with symptomatic Tinea capitis. The specimens were subjected to direct microscopic examination and fungal culture for the isolation and identification of the causative fungal agent at the species level using both phenotypic and molecular approaches. Molecular identification was performed through sequencing of the amplified Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) region.Genetic and evolutionary relationships among Trichophyton species were analyzed by constructing phylogenetic trees using MEGA 12.0. M. canis was identified phenotypically and was not included in the ITS-based phylogenetic analysis.
Results: Phenotypic and molecular profiling of the examined fungal pathogens revealed that the Microsporum canis was the most frequently identified species, followed by T. tonsurans, T. mentagrophytes, and T. verrucosum. ITS-based phylogenetic analysis was performed only for the 17 Trichophyton isolates.The total identified isolates were 54 included T. mentagrophytes (n=6, 11.11%), T. verrucosum (n=4, 7.41%), T. tonsurans (n=7, 12.96 %) and M. canis (n=37, 68.52 %). Intraspecies genetic evolutionary relatedness, deciphered from three phylogenetic trees constructed based on the DNA sequence of the Internal Transcribed Spacer region, was assessed only for the three species of Trichophyton ( 17 isolates): T. mentagrophytes, T. verrucosum, and T. Tonsurans. The strains belonging to each species clustered into distinct clades.
Conclusion: The ITS-based phylogenetic analysis demonstrated genetic heterogeneity among Iraqi Trichophyton isolates, These findings suggest the circulation of multiple genetically diverse Trichophyton lineages among tinea capitis patients in Iraq.
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