It is 2 of the three major genera on which they are responsible for dermatophytosis, hence they are called Dermatophytes. you can see here their basic background and different morphological characteristics.
This presentation was derived from Microbiology 4 books.
Bailley's Scott
Mahon
Alcamo
Jaweitz
2. CONTENTS
• Trichophyton
– With Conidia
• T. mentagrophytes
• T.rubrum
• T. tonsurans
– Only Hyphae
• T. violaceum
• T.shoenleinii
• T. verrucosum
• Epidermophyton floccosum
3. Trichophyton
• Sexual stage Arthroderma under
Ascomycota
• Most important and common
causes of infections of the feet
and nails;
• they may be responsible for tinea
corporis, tinea capitis, tinea
unguium, and tinea barbae.
• Primarily in adults
• Most cosmopolitan species are
anthropophilic, or “human-loving”;
few are zoophilic
• No fluorescing hair under Wood's
lamp
4. Trichophyton
• produces bote micro/macroconidia
• Few or no macroconidia
– Thin ans smooth
– fusiform or cylindrical with 2-12 cells per conidium
– Elongated, few or absent
This micrograph reveals both a
macroconidium and some
microconidia of the fungus
Trichophyton rubrum var.
rodhaini.
5. Trichophyton
• Many Microconidia
–Globose, pyriform or clavate
–Borne on 2 patterns
• En thryses: sleevelike arrangement around
the hyphae
• En grappe: in clusters (Branches of grapes)
–Predominant than Macroconidia
6. Trichophyton mentagrophytes
• rapidly growing and
distributed worldwide
• one of the most
common species
recovered in the lab
• T. mentagrophytes
perforates hair hence
can be used as criterion
when have difficulties in
distiguishing it from
T.rubrum
• can produce both
micro/marcoconidia
• responsible for Tinea
pedis, Tinea cruris,
Tinea capitis, Tinea
barbae and unguium
7. T. mentagrophytes morphology
• Microconidia
– globose but may appear tearshaped
– are found primarily in grape like
clusters, numerous, spiral
nodular bodies
– when it is abundant, it will
produce granular colonies (Corn
meal agar)
8. T. mentagrophytes morphology
• Macroconidia
– thin walled, smooth and cigar shaped, with 4-5 cells
septated by parallel cross walls.
10. Produces two distinct colonial forms:
• the downy variety recovered
from patients with tinea
pedis
• and the granular variety
recovered from lesions
acquired by contact with
animals.
• Rose brown on reverse side
of colony
11. Trichophyton rubrum
• Has no specific nutritional requirements. It
does not perforate hair in vitro or produce
urease.
• Ectothrix- hair shaft reveals sheaths of
isolated chains of large (5 to 10 μm)
spores surrounding the hair shaft
• Responsible for Tinea corporis (ringworm),
Tinea pedis (Athlete's foot), Tinea cruris
(jock itch @groin) & Tinea unguiunum
(onychomycosis @ nail)
13. T. rubrum macroconidia
3-8 celled cylindrical
which is somewhat
same size with T.
mentagrophytes
appear as thin-walled,
smooth-walled,
multicelled, cigarshaped conidia with
three to eight septa.
14. T. rubrum microconidia
• Clavate or pegshaped, tear
shaped along
hyphae
• uncommon in most
of the fluffy strains
but are more
common in the
granular strains
and occur as small,
I'm invading
nail cells
15. T. rubrum cultural characteristics
• SDA media
• is a slow-growing organism that
produces a flat or heaped-up colony
that is generally white to reddish with
a cottony or velvety surface.
• reaching maturity within 14 days at
25o to 30oC.
•Corn Meal Dextrose Agar
•The characteristic cherry-red
color is best observed on the
reverse side of the colony;
however, this is produced
only after 3 to 4 weeks of
incubation.
16. Trichophyton tonsurans
• causative agent of Tinea
capitis in children in many
parts of the world
• Causes black dot
ringworm (hair breaks off)
• Endothrix-hyphae within
the hair
• A careful search for the
embedded stub should be
carried out by the
physician with the use of
a bright light since it did
not fluoresce at Wood's
Lamp
• Anthropophilic (prefers
humans to animals)
however sources vary on
its infectivity.
17. Trichophyton tonsurans morphology
• MICROCONIDIA
– Balloon shaped
(cornmeal agar),
numerous clavate varying
in size (balloon forms and
matchstick forms) if old
– Chlamydoconidia
(intercallary) are
abundant in old cultures;
swollen and fragmented
hyphal cells resembling
arthroconidia may be
seen.
18. Trichophyton tonsurans morphology
• MACROCONIDIA
– rare
T.tonsurans' macroconidia often
show an irregular or wavy
(undulating/ S-shaped) structure.
19. T. tonsurans cultural characteristics
• grows poorly on
media lacking
enrichments (casein
agar); however,
growth is greatly
enhanced by the
presence of thiamine
or inositol in casein
agar.
• No red pigment @
CmDA
• increase growth in
Trichophyton Agar 4
14 days of incubation
• Buff to brown, wrinkled and
suedelike in appearance. The
colony surface shows radial
folds and often develops a
craterlike depression in the
center, with deep fissures. The
reverse side of the colony is
yellowish to reddish brown.
21. Trichophyton violaceum
• Produces an infection of the scalp and
body and is seen primarily in persons
living in the Mediterranean region, the
Middle and Far East, and Africa.
• Hair invasion is of the endothrix type; the
typical “black dot” type of tinea capitis is
observed clinically
22. Trichophyton violaceum infection
• Direct microscopic
examination of the
calcofluor white or
potassium hydroxide
preparation of the
nonfluorescing hairs
shows dark, thick
hairs filled with
masses of
arthroconidia
arranged in chains.
23. T. violaceum Microscopic Characteristics
• Microconidia and
macroconidia are
generally not present;
only sterile, distorted
hyphae and
chlamydoconidia are
found.
• Young hyphae usually
stain well in lactophenol
cotton blue, whereas
older hyphae stain poorly
and show small central
fat globules and granules.
24. T. violaceum cultural characteristics
•
very slow growing, beginning
as cone-shaped, creamcolored, glabrous colonies then
will turn heaped up, verrucous
(warty), violet to purple, and
waxy in consistency. Colonies
may often be described as
being “port wine” in color.
• The reverse side of the colony
is purple or nonpigmented.
• The growth of T.
violaceum is
enhanced on media
containing thiamine
and by Trichophyton
Agar 4.
25. Trichophyton shoenleinii
• causes a severe type of
infection (tinea capitis)
called favus, sometimes
permanet alopeciacharacterized by the
formation of yellowish
cup-shaped crusts or
scutulae.
• Organism causes an
endothrix-style growth,
but without the
arthrocondia. Instead,
channels are formed
within the hair shaft.
26. T. shoenleinii microscopic characteristics
• In calcofluor white or
potassium hydroxide
preparations, bubbles
maybe seen since the
unfilled tunnels in the
hair are filled with
fluid
• The hyphae tend to
become knobby and
club-shaped at the
terminal ends or
possessing Antler
hyphae (favic
chandelier)
• Chlamydoconidia are
generally numerous.
27. T. shoenleinii cultural characteristics
• Is a slowly growing
organism (30 days or
longer) and produces a
white to light gray
colony that has a waxy
surface.
• The reverse side of the
colony is usually tan or
nonpigmented.
• All strains of T.
schoenleinii may be
grown in a vitamin-free
medium and grow
equally well at room
temperature or at 35° to
37° C.
Sabouraud dextrose agar, 25℃, 62 days
Potato dextrose agar , 25℃, 27 days.
28. Trichophyton verrucosum
• causes a variety of lesions in cattle and in
humans-The lesions are found chiefly on
the beard, neck, wrist, and back of the
hands
29. T. verrucosum morphology
• chlamydoconidia in chains
with septa appearing fission
flakes and antler hyphae may
be the only structures observed
• Chlamydoconidia may be
abundant at 35° to 37° C.
30. T. verrucosum morphology
• Microconidia may be
produced by some
cultures if the medium
is enriched with yeast
extract or a vitamin
• Macroconidia are
rarely formed, vary
considerably in size
and shape, and are
referred to as “rat
tail” in appearance.
31. T. verrucosum cultural characteristics
• grows slowly (14 to 30 days), and growth is
enhanced at 35° to 37° C and also on media
enriched with thiamine and inositol.
• Kane and Smitka described a medium for the
early detection and identification of T.
verrucosum- The ingredients for this medium are
4% casein and 0.5% yeast extract.
– The organism is recognized by its early hydrolysis of
casein and very slow growth rate. Chains of
chlamydoconidia are formed regularly at 37°C.
• hence can be differentiated into T. shoenleinii
32. T. verrucosum cultural characteristics
• Colonies are small,
heaped, and folded,
occasionally flat and
disk-shaped.
• Colonies range from
gray and waxlike to a
bright ochre.
• The reverse of the
colony is most often
nonpigmented but
may be yellow.
33. Epidermophyton
•
•
•
•
•
Is a common cause of tinea cruris and tinea pedis.
This organism is susceptible to cold temperatures
E. flocossum only specie
never produces microconidia
Macroconidia are describe as "Beaver tails",
"Snow shoes" and "Paddle shaped"
34. E. flocossum morphology
• Numerous smooth, thinwalled, club-shaped,
multiseptate, which is 24 septa (2 to 4 μm)
macro- conidia are seen
– is useful in
differentiating it from
Microsporum species.
•Spiral hyphae are rare,
and chlamydoconidia are
usually numerous.
35. E. flocossum cultural characteristics
• grows slowly and
growth appears as an
olive-green to khaki
color, with the
periphery surrounded
by a dull orangebrown color.
• Colonies develop a
cottony white aerial
mycelium that
completely overgrows
the colony
36. Summary Table- w/ conidia
Microconidia
Macroconidia
Colony
reverse
Special
consideration
T.
mentagrophytes
En grappe
cigar
shaped can
have spiral
hyphae
downy star shaped
rose
brown
Urease + in
2 days
T. rubrum
sleeve like
cigar
tear shaped shaped
heaped-up that is
white to reddish w/
a cottony surface
cherry red Urease (-)
T. tonsurans
ballon
shaped
rare
suedelike
appearance; buffbronwn w/ crater
yellowish- Intercallary
reddish
chlamydoco
brown
nidia
Never
produce
Beaver tails,
paddle
shaped,
snow shoes
Olive green-khaki
color surrounded by
dull orange w/ aerial
mycelium
Specie
Epidermophyton
37. Summary Table-only hyphae
specie
Chlamydoconidia
Hyphae
Colony
Reverse
T. violaceum
none, instead
arthroconidia in
chains
distorted
"port wine"
purple or nonpigmented
T. shoenleinii
numerous
knobby &
club shaped
@ terminal
ends
appearing
Antler
white-gray waxy
tan or pigmented
T. verrucosum
in chains; "fission
flakes"
Antler
disk shaped;
waxlike that is
bright onchre
non-pigmented
or yellow