Analysis of Trichosporon Isolates Obtained from the Houses of Patients with Summer-Type Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis

Abstract

Summer-type hypersensitivity pneumonitis (SHP) is type III or IV allergies developed by repeated inhalation of arthroconidia of Trichosporon species. We identified 105 strains obtained from the homes of 36 SHP patients by analysis of the intergenic spacer (IGS) 1 region, which is located between the 26S and 5S rRNA genes; in addition, we analyzed the IGS genotypes of the strains. Serologically, Trichosporon species are classified as serotype I, II, III, or I-III. Of the 105 strains, 43 (41.1%), 53 (50.5%), and 9 (8.6%) strains were isolated as serotypes I, II, and III, respectively. Serotype I, II, and III strains were recovered from 19 (52.8%), 29 (80.6%), and 4 (11.1%) of the 36 houses of SHP patients, respectively. No serotype I-III strains were isolated from the houses. Of 43 serotype I strains, 42 (97.7%) were identified as Trichosporon dermatis, and the remaining one was T. terricola. Of 53 serotype II strains, 37 (69.8%) were identified as T. asahii, and the remaining serotype II isolates were T. aquatile (1.9%), T. coremiiforme (7.5%), T. faecale (1.9%), T. japonicum (15.1%), and T. ovoides (3.8%). There were nine serotype III strains comprised of T. montevideense (77.8%) and T. domesticum (22.2%). Intraspecies diversity was found only in T. asahii. This microorganism also causes opportunistic infections (trichosporonosis); seven genotypes of its IGS 1 region have been identified. While the strains of T. asahii obtained from Japanese patients with trichosporonosis were genotype I, the strains from the houses of SHP patients were genotype III. Based on our analysis, we conclude that the strains that play the most significant roles in the development of SHP are T. dermatis, T. asahii genotype 3, and T. montevideense, representing serotypes I, II, and III, respectively.

Molecular Identification and Susceptibility ofTrichosporonSpecies Isolated from Clinical Specimens in Qatar: Isolation ofTrichosporon dohaenseTaj-Aldeen, Meis & Boekhout sp. nov

“…Although T. coremiiforme, T. faecale, and T. japonicum have been isolated from the houses of patients with summer-type hypersensitivity pneumonitis (64,67,68), they have occasionally been isolated from clinical specimens. More recently, T. faecale was isolated from the skin of a tinea pedis patient (27), and T. japonicum was isolated from a sputum specimen (1).…”

“…T. asteroides is known to have been isolated from skin (2,23) and from a patient with a nosocomial bloodstream infection (33). T. ovoides is not reported to cause systemic infections but is known to cause white piedra (14), and the species is isolated from the homes of patients with summertype hypersensitivity pneumonitis (67,68,72). The isolation of Trichosporon species from various clinical specimens in the present work further suggests that the species-specific patterns of infection previously delineated in Trichosporon infection (23) need reconsideration.…”

Growth Inhibition of an Opportunistic Yeast Pathogen <i>Trichosporon asahii</i> by <i>Staphylococcus epidermidis</i>

“…The strains detected in the human body showed different genotypes from those isolated from the environment, suggesting that T. asahii may cause trichosporonosis. 15,16) S. epidermidis is a well-known species and is a normal component of the bacterial microbiota in humans. 17) This common bacterium could play a role in the defense of pathogens including T. asahii.…”

Genotypic Analysis of a New Fungal Pathogen, Trichosporon faecale, Isolated from Japanese Subjects

“…These conditions favor the growth of Trichosporon species. Interestingly, the major causative antigen of SHP is also T. asahii [10]. Trichosporon faecale is an environmental fungus found mainly in soil [4].…”