Microsporum

Microsporum
Microsporum canis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Ascomycota
Class:	Eurotiomycetes
Order:	Onygenales
Family:	Arthrodermataceae
Genus:	Microsporum

Microsporum is a genus of fungi that causes tinea capitis, tinea corpus, ringworm, and other dermatophytoses. Microsporum forms both macroconidia and microconidia on short conidiophores. Macroconidia are hyaline, multiseptate, variable in form, fusiform, spindle-shaped to obovate, ranging from 7 to 20 by 30 to 160 um in size, with thin- or thick-echinulate to verrucose cell walls. Their shape, size and cell wall features are important characteristics for species identification. Microconidia are hyaline, single-celled, pyriform to clavate, smooth-walled, 2.5 to 3.5 by 4 to 7 um in size and are not diagnostic for any one species.

The separation of this genus from Trichophyton is essentially based on the roughness of the macroconidial cell wall, although in practice this may sometimes be difficult to observe. Seventeen species of Microsporum have been described, however only the more common species are included in these descriptions.

Species

• Microsporum amazonicum
• Microsporum audouinii
• Microsporum boullardii
• Microsporum canis
• Microsporum canis var. distortum
• Microsporum cookei
• Microsporum distortum
• Microsporum duboisii
• Microsporum equinum
• Microsporum ferrugineum
• Microsporum fulvum
• Microsporum gallinae
• Microsporum gypseum
• Microsporum langeronii
• Microsporum nanum
• Microsporum persicolor
• Microsporum praecox
• Microsporum ripariae
• Microsporum rivalieri

External links

• Doctor Fungus
• Mycology Unit at the Adelaide Women's and Children's Hospital