Malassezia pachydermatis
| Malassezia pachydermatis | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Basidiomycota |
| Class: | Exobasidiomycetes |
| Order: | Malasseziales |
| Family: | Malasseziaceae |
| Genus: | Malassezia |
| Species: | M. pachydermatis |
| Binomial name | |
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Malassezia pachydermatis (Weidman) C.W.Dodge (1935) |
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| Synonyms | |
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Malassezia pachydermatis is a zoophilic yeast in the division Basidiomycota. It was first isolated in 1925 by Fred Weidman, and has been named pachydermatis Greek for "thick-skin" after the original sample taken from an Indian rhinoceros (Rhinocerosus unicornis) with severe exfoliative dermatis. Within the genus Malassezia, M. pachydermatis is most closely related to the species M. furfur. A commensal fungus, it can be found within the microflora of healthy mammals such as humans, cats and dogs, However, it is capable of acting as an opportunistic pathogen under special circumstances and has been seen to cause skin and ear infections, most often occurring in canines.
Malassezia pachydermatis is a bottle-shaped, non-lipid dependent lipophilic yeast in the genus Malassezia. Colonies are cream or yellowish in colour, smooth to wrinkled and convex with a margin possessing a slightly lobed appearance. Cells are ovoidal in shape and range in size from 3.0–6.5 x 2.5 μm. Colonies grow via unipolar budding, and hyphae are rarely seen in culture.
Optimal growth occurs at 30–37 °C (86–99 °F) with maturation occurring in five days. It is the only species of Malassezia capable of growing without the presence of fatty acids. Although it is not lipid-dependent, its growth is enhanced by the presence of lipids. Its DNA is characterized by a 56% guanine-cytosine content.
Within infected tissues, this yeast produces several enzymes such as proteinase, phospholipase, hyaluronidase and chondroitin-sulphatase.Proteinase and phospholipase are also released in infections involving Candida albicans and have been found to contribute to its virulence by inducing pores into host cell membranes, which eventually lead to their loss of function. For this reason it has been suggested that these enzymes may also serve a function in the pathogenicity of M. pachydermatis. However, pathogenicity in this species has yet to be associated with any specific genotypic and phenotypic traits.
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