Molecular characterization of Malassezia pachydermatis isolates obtained from cases of dermatitis and otitis externa in dogs
A. K. Daniel, P. V. David, C. Ravishankar, K. S. Sumith
Abstract
Malassezia pachydermatis is the most common cause of malassezia dermatitis and otitis in dogs. Though this condition has become fairly common in dogs in Kerala, only very few attempts have been made to isolate and characterize this yeast from these cases. In this study, skin and ear swabs from suspected cases were cultured on Sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA) with 0.05 per cent chloramphenicol. The isolates obtained were initially characterized based on colony characteristics, the result of Gram's staining and microscopic morphology. Total DNA was extracted from the pure cultures of the isolates and subjected to confirmation by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting large subunit ribosomal RNA gene followed by nucleic acid sequencing. Phylogenetic analysis was carried out using MEGA X software. In this study, molecular techniques were used to successfully characterize M. pachydermatis isolates obtained from skin and ear infection in dogs, and all the isolates were of Type I.