Background and Aim: Malassezia is a lipophilic and dimorphic fungus which has different species. Some of them can be found as natural flora on the skin and in some conditions may cause seborrheic dermatitis. The aim of this study was to identify Malassezia species associated with seborrheic dermatitis in Iranian patients, using PCR-RFLP.
Methods: In this study out of 79 patients with seborrheic dermatitis, isolates of 70 patients were positive for Malassezia species using PCR-RFLP. The Internal Transcribed Spacer 2 (ITS2) region was amplified by PCR employing the ITS3 and ITS4 primers and The restriction endonucleases AluI, BanI and MspAI were selected for producing distinct RFLP patterns.
Results: M. globosa (48.6%), M. furfur (40.0%), M. slooffiae (8.6%) and M. sympodialis (2.8%), were the microorganisms responsible for the infection among participants. M. pachydermatis, M. japonica, M. dermatis, M. restricta, M. obtuse, M. nana and M. yamatoensis were not isolated from any samples.
Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the most common Malassezia species associated with seborrheic dermatitis was M. globosa, followed by M. furfur.