Microsporum canis Whole Genome Sequencing Reveals Zoonotic Links Original paper
Researched by:
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Karen Pendergrass
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Karen Pendergrass
Karen Pendergrass is a microbiome researcher specializing in microbiome-targeted interventions (MBTIs). She systematically analyzes scientific literature to identify microbial patterns, develop hypotheses, and validate interventions. As the founder of the Microbiome Signatures Database, she bridges microbiome research with clinical practice. In 2012, based on her own investigative research, she became the first documented case of FMT for Celiac Disease—four years before the first published case study.
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Microbes
Microbes
Microbes, short for microorganisms, are tiny living organisms that are ubiquitous in the environment, including on and inside the human body. They play a crucial role in human health and disease, functioning within complex ecosystems in various parts of the body, such as the skin, mouth, gut, and respiratory tract. The human microbiome, which is […]
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Microsporum canis (M. canis)
Microsporum canis (M. canis)
OverviewMicrosporum canis (M. canis) is a zoophilic dermatophyte common in cats and dogs, responsible for 90% of feline dermatophytoses worldwide.[1][2] It has significant zoonotic potential, transmitting to humans through fomites or direct animal contact, causing severe superficial mycosis. M. canis is considered anthropo-zoophilic and can infect pediatric or immunocompromised patients, causing severe inflammatory responses such […]
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Karen Pendergrass
Researched by:
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Karen Pendergrass
ID
Karen Pendergrass
Microbiome Signatures identifies and validates condition-specific microbiome shifts and interventions to accelerate clinical translation. Our multidisciplinary team supports clinicians, researchers, and innovators in turning microbiome science into actionable medicine.
Karen Pendergrass
What was studied?
Microsporum canis whole genome sequencing was undertaken to generate and analyse draft genomes (~22.8 Mb, ~7 000 CDS each) from one feline and one canine dermatophyte strain collected in northern India. The research focused on Microsporum canis whole genome sequencing to achieve these insights. Using Illumina short-read data the authors assembled 300 + contigs per strain and annotated coding sequences, carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) and mitochondrial genomes. Comparative genomics against four previously published human M. canis genomes and two related species (M. audouinii, M. ferrugineum) included average-nucleotide-identity (ANI), Mash distance and core-SNP phylogeny to explore host-adaptation and potential zoonotic links.
Who was studied?
The investigation focused on two symptomatic companion animals: a 4-month-old Persian cat (strain B12-36A) and a 3-month-old mixed-breed dog (strain B12-45A) presenting with ringworm lesions in Uttar Pradesh, India. Comparative reference material comprised four Chinese human isolates representing disseminated infection, subcutaneous lesions and tinea capitis, plus archived human isolates of M. audouinii and M. ferrugineum; no healthy controls were included. Thus, to uncover the genetic makeup, Microsporum canis whole genome sequencing was pivotal in analyzing these strains.
Most important findings
Whole-genome comparison placed all six M. canis strains in one species cluster (ANI > 99 %). Strikingly, the two Indian animal strains showed >99.9 % ANI and ≤1 287 pairwise SNPs to a Chinese human isolate recovered from disseminated dermatophytosis, while being increasingly distant from isolates causing subcutaneous disease and tinea capitis. This core group was clearly separated from M. audouinii and M. ferrugineum (ANI <97.2 %), underscoring host-specialised diversification within the complex, much elucidated by Microsporum canis whole genome sequencing efforts.
Functionally, 158 CAZyme-encoding genes were predicted, 58 of which carry signal peptides suggesting secretion into keratinised niches. Key families included multiple GH18 chitinases, GH3/GH5 β-glucosidases, AA1/AA7 laccases/oxidoreductases and GT32/GT72 hexosyltransferases, enzymes implicated in keratin degradation, melanisation, immune evasion and nutrient acquisition. Hot-spot analysis identified 159 genes with non-synonymous mutations shared by ≥4 strains, providing candidate virulence markers; the animal strains displayed fewer unique mutations than human subcutaneous strains, hinting at a conserved zoonotic genotype.
Key implications
For clinicians, these genomic insights highlight that pet-derived M. canis lineages can be almost indistinguishable from strains producing severe, invasive infections in humans, supporting direct zoonotic transmission. Importantly, Microsporum canis whole genome sequencing has unveiled these genetic similarities. The extensive repertoire of secreted CAZymes links fungal metabolism to tissue invasion and may furnish microbiome-signature databases with fungal enzyme markers relevant to skin-microbiome dysbiosis. Recognising such signatures could aid early diagnosis and tailored antifungal strategies, especially as ABC-transporter over-expression and terbinafine resistance emerge within M. canis populations. Routine sequencing of veterinary and human isolates, combined with transcriptomic profiling of CAZyme genes, is therefore warranted to track virulent clades and to develop enzyme-targeted therapeutics.