Researchers in Kazakhstan discovered two new fungal pathogens affecting horses’ skin for the first time. These fungi, called Chrysosporium kreiselii and Chrysosporium zonatum, cause skin lesions and dandruff in horses. One strain is resistant to most antifungal medications, making it particularly challenging to treat.
This research studies how a fungus called Nannizzia gypsea forms protective biofilms on skin and hair, making infections harder to treat. Scientists grew the fungus in the lab and on real human hair, discovering it creates thick slime-like protective layers containing proteins, sugars, and DNA. The fungus also produces enzymes that break down keratin (the main protein in skin and hair) and activates drug-pumping proteins that help it resist antifungal medications. Understanding these defense mechanisms could help develop better treatments for fungal skin infections that are currently difficult to cure.
Researchers have developed a new method to quickly identify fungal skin infections caused by dermatophytes by detecting the unique smells (volatile compounds) they produce. Instead of waiting days or weeks for culture-based tests, this approach uses advanced chemical analysis to create a fingerprint of the fungus based on its odor. The study analyzed 47 different dermatophyte strains and found that each species and even individual strains have distinctive chemical signatures, which could one day allow doctors to diagnose infections rapidly using portable devices similar to electronic noses.
This study shows that a specialized technique called MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry can accurately identify fungal skin infections by analyzing protein patterns. Researchers created a customized library of local fungal species that, when combined with commercial databases, improved identification accuracy from 16% to 91%. This advancement helps doctors quickly identify the exact type of fungal infection patients have, enabling faster and more appropriate treatment decisions.
This study examined how Nannizzia gypsea, a fungus that causes skin infections in humans and animals, forms protective biofilms that make it resistant to antifungal drugs. Researchers found that the fungus creates a robust protective layer with specific molecular components and highly expresses genes related to virulence and drug resistance when in biofilm form. These findings help explain why dermatophyte infections are difficult to treat and recur frequently.
A new type of fungus called Trichophyton indotineae is causing stubborn skin infections that don’t respond well to standard antifungal treatments. Researchers used advanced laboratory techniques combined with computer analysis to better identify this fungus from MALDI-TOF spectra, which is a quick fingerprinting method for microorganisms. The study showed that machine learning could accurately distinguish this problematic fungus from similar species and found specific markers that could help clinics detect it faster, potentially improving patient treatment outcomes.
Certain fungal skin infections are becoming resistant to terbinafine, a common antifungal medication, due to genetic mutations in an enzyme called squalene epoxidase. Using computer models and analysis tools, researchers identified which mutations most strongly reduce the drug’s effectiveness and where the protein changes occur. Four specific mutations were found to prevent terbinafine from binding to its target, offering insights that could help develop better antifungal treatments.
Fungal skin infections affect nearly a billion people worldwide and are becoming increasingly difficult to treat due to growing resistance to common antifungal medications. A new species of fungus called T. indotineae, particularly resistant to the popular antifungal drug terbinafine, is spreading globally from India. To combat this emerging health crisis, doctors and health organizations are working together to create global registries and surveillance programs to track resistant infections and develop better treatment strategies.
A strain of fungal skin pathogen (Trichophyton benhamiae var. luteum) is spreading rapidly among guinea pigs and people in Europe, but scientists didn’t understand why it was more contagious than closely related strains. Researchers compared gene activity in four related fungal species and found that the epidemic strain produces higher levels of toxic compounds called secondary metabolites. These compounds help the fungus escape the body’s immune system and cause infection more effectively than in less dangerous relatives.