Abstract
Trichophyton tonsurans is a pathogenic dermatophytic fungus causing tinea capitis. It has been identified among judo and wrestling athletes in Japan since 2000. In this study, we isolated a dermatophytic fungus from the head pus of an 8-year-old male who practices judo. It was classified as belonging the genus Trichophyton by observation of its slide culture under a microscope. The ITS and D1/D2 regions, which are encoded by the rRNA gene, were amplified by PCR and then sequenced to identify the Trichophyton species. The fungus isolated from this case was identified as T. tonsurans because it showed high homology to this species (ITS, 98.3%; D1/D2, 100%) in a BLAST search using the DDBJ database (DNA Data Bank of Japan). The suggested identification method improved the credibility of results by employing simultaneous confirmation of homologies from two or more independent regions of the gene. Hence, it may contribute to the treatment of tinea capitis with an appropriate antibiotic.
