Molecular analysis of Malassezia pachydermatis isolated from canine skin and ear in Korea

We investigated Malassezia species and genotypes colonizing dogs, comparing those recovered from the ear canal with those from other anatomical body sites, as well as from diseased and healthy skin. The Malassezia isolates were obtained from four types of skin samples, i.e., diseased ear, diseased skin, healthy ear, and healthy skin. Sequences of the 26S ribosomal DNA region, the intergenic spacer 1 (IGS-1) and the internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS-1) DNA region were analyzed. These confirmed the presence of Malassezia pachydermatis, which could be separated into three main sequence genotype groups (A, B, C). Genotype A was the most common, only two genotype B isolates were recovered from diseased skin lesion and genotype C was more likely to be isolated from ear samples than from other healthy or diseased-skin sites. The present findings provide the basis for further studies of genotypic diversity in M. pachydermatis, as well as their pathogenic potential.