Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: the dual nature of Malassezia pachydermatis

Abstract

Malassezia pachydermatis is a part of the physiological biota of the skin and mucous membranes of most mammals and birds. This opportunistic species causes mainly surface skin infections. Since M. pachydermatis is isolated almost equally from diseased animals and those without dinical symptoms of the disease, accurate diagnosis of infections caused by this yeast is a problem of great importance in veterinary and medicine. Therefore, the isolation of these fungi from patients is not equivalent to the identification of the etiologic agent of infection. According to the current state of our knowledge, the problem of diseases associated with M. pachydermatis is correlated with the metabolic, hormonal and immunological state of the host. However, in the light of a review of the literature, a significant question arises, whether the pathogenicity of M. pachydermatis is solely conditioned by host-dependent factors, or maybe the pathogenic strains have independent virulence mechanisms while the other factors only trigger their expression.