A 9-Month-Old Girl from Iran with Extensive Erythematous Plaques Due to Trichophyton simii, a Zoophilic Dermatophyte.

The incidence of dermatophytosis due to Trichophyton simii is generally considered to be limited to endemic areas, particularly one area of India. However, the high similarity between the morphological features of atypical T. simii isolates and those of other dermatophytes such as Trichophyton interdigitale and Arthroderma benhamiae may lead to misidentification of the cause of dermatophytosis in many instances. We investigated a rare case of tinea corporis in a 9-month-old female with extensive erythematous lesions. Morphological features of the recovered isolate from the culture resulted in the identification of Trichophyton interdigitale. For accurate identification, the internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS1 and ITS2) of the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) gene were sequenced and the isolate was ultimately identified as T. simii. In conclusion, T. simii, which has been formerly known to be restricted to specific endemic regions, appears to be not infrequent in non-endemic areas but instead simply less well-known and consequently underestimated. To determine its actual prevalence of infection, the application of DNA-based molecular methodologies is required.