Generating and testing molecular hypotheses in the dermatophytes

Dermatophytes are the most common cause of fungal infections worldwide, impacting millions of individuals annually. In the United States alone, this translates into an economic impact on the health care system estimated to exceed $400 million a year for treatment alone (8, 46). A recent survey conducted in 16 European countries has shown that more than one-third (35 to 40%) of the 90,000 participants were suffering with a fungal foot disease, mainly caused by dermatophytes (4). In a recent study, 22 to 50% of children in a U.S. day care center exhibited symptoms of dermatophytic scalp infections (2). Despite the prominence of dermatophyte infections and their resulting socioeconomic consequences, the research and medical communities lack a sophisticated understanding of these organisms' biology. Consequently, effective preventatives and therapeutics are lacking. These deficiencies are in large part due to the lack of genetic tools available for the study of these fungi and their host specificities. Several research efforts are now poised to produce genomic and molecular resources that will enable the molecular characterization of dermatophytes. These resources will soon be available for use by the larger research community to address many questions about the biology and pathogenesis of dermatophytes. This review will elaborate on the current status of these resources and their importance to the study of the dermatophytes.