Home • Trichophyton verrucosum HKI 0517
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This image depicts a left lateral view of a cow revealing large, irregularly-shaped areas where the animal's hair had fallen out, and where the skin had been replaced by a roughened, chronically-inflamed surface. The infection was due to a dermatophytic fungal infestation by Trichophyton verrucorum. Photo: CDC/ Dr. Lucille K. Georg

The genome sequence and gene predictions of Trichophyton verrucosum were not determined by the JGI, but were downloaded from Broad Institute and have been published (Anke Burmester et al., 2011). Please note that this copy of the genome is not maintained by the author and is therefore not automatically updated.

The two dermatophyte species Arthroderma benhamiae and Trichophyton verrucosum are both zoophilic, yet the natural reservoir of T. verrucosum is almost exclusively cattle, whereas A. benhamiae is usually found on rodents, in particular guinea pigs. The two species also differ in their ability to grow under laboratory conditions, with T. verrucosum being very difficult to cultivate at all. Conversely, A. benhamiae is comparatively fast growing and produces abundant microconidia. As a teleomorphic species, the fungus is even able to undergo sexual development, including the formation of sexual fructifications (cleistothecia). These characteristics, together with the recent establishment of a guinea pig infection model and a genetic system for targeted gene deletion for this species, suggest A. benhamiae is a useful model organism to investigate the fundamental biology and pathogenicity of dermatophytes. Despite the above mentioned phenotypic differences, A. benhamiae and T. verrucosum are phylogenetically very closely related, and both induce highly inflammatory cutaneous infections in humans, such as tinea corporis. Therefore, a genome comparison of the two species should reveal common basic pathogenicity-associated traits.

 

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