A suggested pathogenic role for Trichosporon montevideense in a case of onychomycosis in a Japanese monkey

Abstract

Onychomycosis is a fungal infection of fingernails or toenails caused by several species of fungi and yeasts. A Japanese monkey, Macaca fuscata, displayed severe onychomycosis in his 4 limbs. Diagnosis and etiological agent identification were performed by conventional and DNA-mediated methods. The accumulated findings of this case revealed Trichosporon montevideense, which has long been considered to be a nonpathogenic yeast. Here, we present the first report of an involvement of T. montevideense in an onychomycosis case.