Epidemiology of dermatomycoses History, recent development and future perspectives

Area of study are the dermatophytes, the human-adapted skin fungi belonging to the order Onygenales. The epidemiology of these fungi has changed considerably under the influence of modernization. Under rural conditions with por hygiene, zoophilic and severely inflammatory species are prevalent, while in urban settings the origins of infections are in pet animals. Several species adapt to the human host, and tend to evolve towards lower virulence.
In this Thesis, dermatophyte history and current global epidemiology with particular emphasis on China were explored. The genomic data of eight prevalent pathogenic dermatophytes were analyzed, including Trichophyton rubrum,T. tonsurans, T. equinum, T. benhamiae, T. verrucosum, Nannizzia gypseum and Microsporum canis. The genome structures, biological function and virulence factors were compared, especially within the Trichophyton rubrum complex. As proteases play an important role in the pathogenesis of dermatophytosis, three pivotal secreted protease families, S8A, M35 and M36 families were compared at DNA and RNA level.