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Atypical non-lipid-dependent strains of Malassezia furfur

  • Research Article
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Central European Journal of Biology

Abstract

Members of the yeast genus Malassezia, including atypical strains, are lipophilic except for Malassezia pachydermatis. New physiological features that characterize atypical Malassezia strains are mainly associated with alteration in Tween assimilation pattern — such isolates still require lipids for growth. We isolated three non-lipid-dependent strains of Malassezia from patients with diagnosed atopic dermatitis (AD). These isolates could not be identified to the species level via their physiological properties. Phylogenetic trees, based on the D1/D2 regions of the 26S rDNA gene sequences and nucleotide sequences of the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 rRNA region, showed the isolates to belong to Malassezia furfur. Three non-lipid dependent isolates from AD skin were conspecific, and sequences analysis proved them to be M. furfur.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Vilnius University, LT-03101, Vilnius, Lithuania

    Aukse Zinkeviciene, Vilmantas Norkunas & Donaldas Citavicius

  2. Centre of Diagnosis and Treatment of Allergic Diseases, LT-08109, Vilnius, Lithuania

    Aukse Zinkeviciene

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  1. Aukse Zinkeviciene
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  2. Vilmantas Norkunas
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  3. Donaldas Citavicius
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Correspondence to Aukse Zinkeviciene.

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Zinkeviciene, A., Norkunas, V. & Citavicius, D. Atypical non-lipid-dependent strains of Malassezia furfur . cent.eur.j.biol. 7, 241–249 (2012). https://doi.org/10.2478/s11535-012-0018-3

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