title: White variants of Trichophyton violaceum isolated in Ethiopia.
abstract: Certain dermatophytes are geographically restricted and endemic in particular parts of the world, while other species may have a sporadic but worldwide distribution. Trichophyton violaceum is one of the most common dermatophytes causing tinea capitis, and is the predominant cause of tinea in Africa, South America and the Indian subcontinent. Among 1187 dermatophyte isolates collected from Ethiopian patients with various types of tinea, 32 isolates had uncharacteristic phenotypic features. Based on conventional methods complemented by sequence analysis of the rDNA ITS2 region, these isolates were identified as white variants of T. violaceum. This is the first time that white isolates of T. violaceum have been identified in Ethiopia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Woldeamanuel
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Leekassa
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Petrini
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chryssanthou
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001483:Base Sequence; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000235:genetics; D005002:Ethiopia; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010860:Pigments, Biological; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013045:Species Specificity; D014005:Tinea / Q000382:microbiology*; D014249:Trichophyton / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D004271:DNA, Fungal; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer; D010860:Pigments, Biological