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Familial Cases of Trichophyton benhamiae Infection Transmitted from a Guinea Pig in Iran

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Abstract

Trichophyton benhamiae is a zoophilic dermatophyte mainly transmitted to humans from guinea pigs. This zoophilic species can also cause dermatophytosis as reported by human contact with other animals, such as rabbit, cat, and fox. Here, we report the tinea faciei and tinea corporis cases: a 12-year-old girl and her 53-year-old father, with no history of immunodeficiency and underlying disease, caused by T. benhamiae transmitted from a guinea pig in Iran. Dermatological examination revealed several erythematous, round, scaly, and approximately 1–4-cm-diameter lesions in both patients. The girl had seven skin lesions, and her father presented two skin lesions on the front side of his neck. The girl’s lesions had started 3 weeks before and her father’s lesions appeared 7 days after the first clinical appearance of the lesions in the daughter. The girl had daily close contact with a guinea pig, while her father did not have any direct exposure to the pet. Examination of the lesions scraping with 10% potassium hydroxide (KOH 10%) revealed hyaline septate hyphae and arthroconidia. The dermatophyte isolated in culture was identified as T. benhamiae using molecular analysis. The patients were successfully treated using topical sertaconazole nitrate 2% cream twice a day for 4 weeks.

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Acknowledgements

The present article is financially supported by “Research Department of the School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran” (Grant no. 10036).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Saham Ansari

  2. Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Para-Medicine, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran

    Bahram Ahmadi

  3. Department of Internal Medicine, Sina Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Seyedeh Nadia Tabatabaeifar

  4. Invasive Fungi Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran

    Mohammad T. Hedayati

  5. Student Research Committee, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran

    Javad Javidnia

  6. Department of Medical Mycology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran

    Javad Javidnia

  7. Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran

    Mojtaba Taghizadeh Armaki

  8. Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Jahrom University of Medical Sciences, Jahrom, Iran

    Gholam Reza Shokoohi

  9. Zoonoses Research Center, Jahrom University of Medical Sciences, Jahrom, Iran

    Gholam Reza Shokoohi

  10. Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Health Research Institute, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran

    Ali Rezaei-Matehkolaei

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  1. Saham Ansari
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  8. Ali Rezaei-Matehkolaei
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Correspondence to Gholam Reza Shokoohi.

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Ethical Statement

The Ethics Committee of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, approved this study (Ethical approval no. IR.SBMU. MSP.REC.1396.103).

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Ansari, S., Ahmadi, B., Tabatabaeifar, S.N. et al. Familial Cases of Trichophyton benhamiae Infection Transmitted from a Guinea Pig in Iran. Mycopathologia 186, 119–125 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11046-020-00513-1

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