Introduction: The genus Malassezia comprises 17 species of commensal and pathogenic yeasts of homeotherms animal skin. The most common species are M. furfur, M. globosa, and M. sympodialis in humans and M. pachydermatis in animals. However, some publications have reported potentially serious human infections by M. pachydermatis in individuals with risk factors and the isolation of human species from domestic animals. Given the scarcity of information about their capacity for transmission between hosts and zoonotic potential, the aim of the present study was to physiologically and molecularly characterize Malassezia spp. isolates obtained from canines and their human owners. Materials and Methods: An experimental study was conducted at the Veterinary Clinic of Universidad de Ciencias Aplicadas y Ambientales of Bogotá (Colombia) from July 2015 to December 2016. Phenotypic identification and molecular characterization via the amplification of the 5.8S rDNA-ITS2 and 26S rDNA gene regions, nucleic acid sequencing, and phylogenetic analyses were performed on isolates originating from canines with otitis externa and from the skin of healthy owners compatible with Malassezia spp. Results: Eighty samples were cultured, of which 32 (40%) were suggestive of Malassezia spp. A total of 29 out of 46 (63%) isolates in canines and 3 out of 34 (9%) isolates in humans corresponded entirely with M. pachydermatis. Isolates from the canines and their owners presented similar behavior in biochemical and phospholipase activity tests, 100% molecular sequence identities, and close proximity in the phylogenetic trees. Conclusion: The isolation of M. pachydermatis from humans and their dogs with identity based on biochemical, physiological, molecular, and phylogenetic perspectives indicate the How to cite this paper:

Las zoonosis son enfermedades que se transmiten de forma natural entre los animales vertebrados y el hombre. Existe un gran número de enfermedades bacterianas, virales y parasitarias, que son transmitidas de los animales a los humanos, mientras que pocas micosis son consideradas, actualmente, como zoonosis. Las micosis zoonóticas son más frecuentes en individuos inmunocomprometidos, incluyendo pacientes hospitalizados, en los cuales, Malassezia pachydermatis, una levadura zoofílica, aparece como un microorganismo importante, en la etiología de micosis nosocomiales. En esta revisión, se mencionan las publicaciones que han reportado la presencia de M pachydermatis en humanos, a través del tiempo, con especial énfasis, en infecciones sistémicas en población de riesgo, a partir de caninos y personal de la salud, colonizados por esta levadura. Asimismo, se recopilan estudios en los que se han aislado en animales, especies antropofílicas del género Malassezia, para contribuir al conocimiento de la ecología y posible mecanismo de transmisión zoonótica, de este microorganismo.