Abstract
Introduction: Trichophyton indotineae has emerged globally as a highly contagious, terbinafine-resistant dermatophyte causing treatment-refractory superficial mycoses, posing a significant public health threat.This study evaluated the epidemiology of dermatophytosis in Babylon Province, Iraq, and performed molecular identification and phylogenetic analysis of local clinical isolates.
Methods: Clinical specimens from 258 patients aged 1 to 71 years were analyzed. Following phenotypic characterization, genomic DNA was extracted from three representative isolates. Polymerase chain reaction amplified the internal transcribed spacer region, followed by DNA sequencing and neighbor-joining phylogenetic analysis.
Results: Tinea corporis was the most prevalent clinical presentation (37.89%), followed by Tinea pedis (16.69%) and Tinea capitis (15.09%). Infections were significantly more common in rural areas (57.4%) and individuals aged over 13 years (73.5%). Gender-specific variations were observed, with Tinea pedis dominating in males (85.6%) and Tinea corporis in females (63.9%). Molecular and phylogenetic analyses of the three isolates confirmed 100% sequence identity with global T. indotineae reference strains (GenBank ON528187.1), clustering them within the T. indotineae clade.
Conclusion: This study provides the first molecular confirmation of T. indotineae in Babylon Province, Iraq. The findings highlight the critical need for molecular surveillance and antifungal susceptibility testing to manage resistant dermatophytosis.