Malassezia pachydermatisCarriage in Dog Owners
0301 basic medicine
Malassezia
atopic
Research
R
Dermatitis
Infectious and parasitic diseases
RC109-216
04 agricultural and veterinary sciences
Hand
3. Good health
0403 veterinary science
03 medical and health sciences
Dogs
Yeasts
Animals, Domestic
Zoonoses
Carrier State
Medicine
Animals
Dermatomycoses
Humans
Dog Diseases
Fungemia
Skin
DOI:
10.3201/eid1101.040882
Publication Date:
2012-03-01T23:14:07Z
AUTHORS (4)
ABSTRACT
Yeasts of the genus Malassezia serve as both commensal microorganisms and pathogens on the skin of humans and domestic animals. Although rare, cases of life-threatening fungemia in people have been attributed to Malassezia pachydermatis, for which dogs are a natural host. Zoonotic transfer has been documented from dogs to immunocompromised patients by healthcare workers who own dogs. We investigated the role of pet dogs as risk factors for mechanical carriage of M. pachydermatis on human hands. Dogs and their owners were sampled as pairs, by fungal culture and nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Although fungal culture was not a reliable means by which to detect carriage of the yeast on human hands, PCR identified M. pachydermatis on most (approximately equal to 93%) human participants. Human carriage of ubiquitous opportunistic pathogens such as M. pachydermatis underscores the importance of good hand hygiene by healthcare professionals.
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