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Cutaneous Bacterial Species from Lithobates catesbeianus can Inhibit Pathogenic Dermatophytes

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Abstract

Antibiotics are being successfully used to fight many infectious diseases caused by pathogenic microorganisms. However, new infectious diseases are continuously being identified, and some known pathogens are becoming resistant against known antibiotics. Furthermore, many antifungals are causing serious side effects in long-term treatments of patients, and many skin infections caused by dermatophytes are difficult to cure. The beneficial roles of resident cutaneous microbiota to inhibit pathogenic microorganisms have been shown for many vertebrate species. Microbial symbionts on the amphibian skin for example can be a source of powerful antimicrobial metabolites that can protect amphibians against diseases, such as chytridiomycosis, caused by a fungal pathogen. In this research, we investigated whether cutaneous bacterial species isolated from Lithobates catesbeianus (North American bullfrog), an invasive amphibian species that is resistant to chytridiomycosis, produce secondary metabolites that can be used to inhibit the growth of three species of dermatophytes (Microsporum gypseum, Epidermophyton floccosum, and Trichophyton mentagrophytes) which are known to cause topical or subdermal skin infections in humans. Strongly anti-dermatophyte bacterial species that belonged to the Bacillaceae, Streptomycetaceae, Pseudomonadaceae, Xanthomonadaceae, Aeromonadaceae, and Enterobacteriaceae were identified. This research has provided evidence of the presence of cutaneous anti-dermatophyte bacteria from L. catesbeianus which might provide a basis for health care providers to experiment with new antifungals in the future.

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Acknowledgments

This project was supported by a ‘Student Research Scholarship’ from California State University Bakersfield which led to the completion of a Master’s Thesis. Thanks also to Professors C. Kloock and P. Smith from California State University Bakersfield for their critical comments and suggestions that helped to improve this manuscript.

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The authors state no conflict of interest.

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  1. Department of Biology, California State University Bakersfield (CSUB), 9001 Stockdale Highway, Bakersfield, CA, 93311-1022, USA

    Antje Lauer & Trang Hernandez

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  1. Antje Lauer
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Correspondence to Antje Lauer.

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Lauer, A., Hernandez, T. Cutaneous Bacterial Species from Lithobates catesbeianus can Inhibit Pathogenic Dermatophytes. Mycopathologia 179, 259–268 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11046-014-9838-1

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