Phylogenetic relation of Epidermophyton floccosum to the species of Microsporum and Trichophyton in chitin synthase 1 (CHS1) gene sequences.

The Nucleotide sequence of the chitin synthase 1 (CHS1) gene of Epidermophyton floccosum, an anthrophophilic dermatophyte which is the type species of the genus Epidermophyton was analyzed to determine its phylogenetic relation to eight other dermatophyte species belonging to the genera Microsporum and Trichophyton, which were sequenced in our previous studies. A genomic DNA fragment about 620 bp in length of the CHS1 gene was amplified from E. floccosum by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and was sequenced. The CHS1 nucleotide sequence showed more than 85% similarity with sequences derived from the other dermatophytes. Phylogenetic analyses of the sequences from E. floccosum revealed that the genus Epidermophyton may be genetically distinct from Microsporum and Trichophyton.