1 Dermotophytes

 “Commonest infectious agent of man”

 Invades the keratinized portions of the hair, skin and nails. Use keratin as nitrogen source.
 Dermatophytosis – a mycotic infection of the hair, skin and the nails caused by
dermatophytes.
 Dermatomycosis – invasion of the cutaneous tissue by other fungi
 Classification of dermatophytes according to the origin
 Anthrophilic ( human loving)
 Geophilic (soil loving)
 Zoophilic (animal loving)

 On the basis of clinical, morphologic, and microscopic characteristics 3 genera in

dermatophytes
 Epidermophyton
 Microsporum
 Trichophyton

Epidermophyton Microsporum Trichophyton

Tissue affected Skin, nails Hair, skin Hair, skin nails
Microconidia none few many
Thick, rough walls, Smooth thin walls,
Macroconidia Smooth thin walls
many present relatively few
Fluorescence in
No Some species No
tissue

Specimens: Skin, Nails, Hair (when transporting specimens that believed to contain
dermatophytes – keep the specimen dry: this prevents overgrowth of the tissue and fungus by
bacteria and preserves the fungus for culture)

1. Wood lamp - detect dermatophyte infections – tissue affected with microsporum fluoresce
bright yellow green (other dermatophytes do not cause fluorescence).

False positive reactions – some hair oils, medications

2. Direct microscopic examination – not a sensitive method for dermatophytes.
Skin, hair – 10% KOH
Nails – 20% KOH
(Dimethyl sulfoxide [DMSO] – increase the penetration of the stain into the tissue

3. Culture – media containing antibiotics (because specimens fro cutaneous sites almost
always contain the normal bacterial flora)
Emmon’s modification of sabouraud dextrose agar (modified SDA) with 4% glucose better
for the dermatophytes
 SDA without antibiotics should always be included in any regimen for culture –
because pathogens sensitive to the microbial agents be missed.
 PDA or PFA (potato flake agar)

4. Dermatophytes test medium (DTM) contain phenol red indicator – dermatophytes produce
alkaline metabolic products – colour changes from yellow to reddish orange or red.
(screening test)

5. Colony morphology – one feature that is helpful for distinguishing the dermatophytes from
other pathogenic fungi
“ colonies have one pigment in surface of the colony and another pigment (other
than the black) on the reverse.(not all dermatophytes have these pattern)

6. Microscopic features – Microconidia, macroconidia, - size, shape, septation, attachment

to the hyphae of the conidia, vegetative hyphal stuctures
Dermotophytes culture contain structures – pectinate hyphae, racquet hyphae, nodular
bodies, spiral hyphae
 Epidermophyton Microsporum Trichophyton

Macroconidia thin smooth walls fusiform / spindle shapped cylindrical / pencil shaped /
contain 1-5 cells (taper from the center to both fusiform
ends) thin, smooth walls
wall –thick, echinulate with 2-12 cells per conidium
upto 15 septa.

(beavers tails/
snowshoes shape)

Microconidia Never produce Less common globose/pyriform, clavate.

Pyriform, clavate Borne in two patterens.
Born directly on the hyphae or
on short conidiophores
Trichophyton –

En thryses form a sleevelike arrangement around the hyphae

En grape form a clusters arrangement around the hyphae