Trichophyton mentagrophytes

Structure and Physiology

Trichophyton mentagrophytes is a fungus that is part of a group known as dermatophytes.

Transmission and Disease

This fungus is known to cause a skin infection known as Dermatophytosis or Ringworm which appears on a person’s skin as an inflamed circular pattern. The invasion of the skin, hair, and nails can cause diseases such as tines pedis or athlete’s foot.

Disinfection

This fungus produces spores which are difficult to eliminate via disinfection. Disinfection is especially important for environments where Ringworm infections can occur and spread rapidly such as athletic facilities or schools.

Notes

T. mentagrophytes is zoonotic, meaning that it can be transferred from animals to humans.

Reference

• Emilie Fréalle, Marion Rodrigue, Nausicaa Gantois, Cécile-Marie Aliouat, Emmanuel Delaporte, Daniel Camus, Eduardo Dei-Cas, Catherine Kauffmann- Lacroix, Jacques Guillot and Laurence Delhaes. Phylogenetic analysis of Trichophyton mentagrophytes human and animal isolates based on MnSOD and ITS sequence comparison. October 2007vol. 153 no. 10 3466-3477.