Skin Commensal Fungus<i>Malassezia</i>and Its Lipases
Minji Park, Sung-Min Park, Won Hee Jung
Abstract
Numerous studies that analyzed the fungal communities on human skin suggested Malassezia as the predominant fugal genus. Mycobiome analyses of samples collected from 14 different body sites of 10 healthy adults revealed that M. restricta and M. globosa were commonly isolated from the glabella, external auditory canal, and retroauricular crease; and the occiput, back, and inguinal crease; respectively Comparison of the fungal communities inhabiting skin between healthy adults and children revealed that M. restricta dominates at the sebaceous sites in adults rather than in children Furthermore, it was shown that the occiput, back, and manubrium exhibited M. globosa predominance, whereas M. restricta was predominant in the external auditory canal, retroauricular crease, and forehead Since Malassezia lives on the skin surface, it is usually associated with numerous skin diseases, such as seborrheic dermatitis/dandruff, atopic dermatitis, and pityriasis versicolor. Although various studies suggested that skin disorders and Malassezia are linked, our knowledge regarding the physiology and pathogenesis of Malassezia in skin diseases is still largely limited.