{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,1]],"date-time":"2026-07-01T08:25:38Z","timestamp":1782894338907,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":56,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,1]],"date-time":"2026-07-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1782864000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Vet. Sci."],"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    <jats:italic>Trichophyton erinace<\/jats:italic>\n                    i is a zoonotic dermatophyte, typically associated with hedgehogs. While the European hedgehog (\n                    <jats:italic>Erinaceus europaeus<\/jats:italic>\n                    ) is a frequent host in the wild, the African pygmy hedgehog (\n                    <jats:italic>Atelerix albiventris<\/jats:italic>\n                    ) is increasingly affected in captive settings. Despite carrying the fungus, most hedgehogs remain asymptomatic, which complicates early detection and increases the risk of transmission to other animals or humans. This study addresses the difficulty of sampling from asymptomatic individuals and the need for understanding the genetic variation of\n                    <jats:italic>T. erinacei<\/jats:italic>\n                    . Three non-invasive sampling techniques (interdental brushes, cotton swabs, and toothbrushes) were used to collect skin samples from 103 captive\n                    <jats:italic>A. albiventris<\/jats:italic>\n                    individuals in the Czech Republic and Romania. Other materials, such as spines or crusts, were also collected. Samples were cultured on selective media (SDA with cycloheximide and chloramphenicol), and isolates were identified by ITS rDNA region sequencing. Genetic variation was assessed using multilocus microsatellite typing. Out of 103 sampled African pygmy hedgehogs, 24.3% (25\/103) tested positive for\n                    <jats:italic>T. erinacei<\/jats:italic>\n                    , of which 76.0% (19\/25) were asymptomatic. No other dermatophyte species were isolated from tested hedgehogs. Among different sampling techniques, interdental brushes showed the highest detection rate (80%), significantly outperforming cotton swabs and toothbrushes. ITS rDNA region sequencing and multilocus microsatellite typing revealed no genetic variation among the isolates, indicating low intraspecific diversity in\n                    <jats:italic>T. erinacei<\/jats:italic>\n                    from captive\n                    <jats:italic>A. albiventris<\/jats:italic>\n                    . Our results emphasize the importance of reliable, non-invasive sampling methods for early diagnosis, particularly in the context of rising numbers of hedgehogs kept as pets. It also demonstrates the superior effectiveness of interdental brushes over other sampling techniques for detecting\n                    <jats:italic>T. erinacei<\/jats:italic>\n                    in hedgehogs, offering a practical improvement for pathogen surveillance. The absence of genetic variability suggests the circulation of a single clone M1 in the captive population.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fvets.2026.1755936","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,1]],"date-time":"2026-07-01T06:23:38Z","timestamp":1782887018000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Zoonotic dermatophyte Trichophyton erinacei in pet hedgehogs: sampling methodology and further insight into genetic diversity"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Petr","family":"Cibulka","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources\/CINeZ, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague","place":["Prague, Czechia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"V\u00edt","family":"Hubka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University","place":["Prague, Czechia"]},{"name":"Laboratory of Fungal Genetics and Metabolism, Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences","place":["Prague, Czechia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ad\u00e9la","family":"Wennrich","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Fungal Genetics and Metabolism, Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences","place":["Prague, Czechia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Miroslav","family":"Kola\u0159\u00edk","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Fungal Genetics and Metabolism, Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences","place":["Prague, Czechia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"David","family":"Modr\u00fd","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources\/CINeZ, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague","place":["Prague, Czechia"]},{"name":"Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University","place":["Brno, Czechia"]},{"name":"Institute of Parasitology, Biology Center of Czech Academy of Sciences","place":["Cesk\u00e9 Bud\u011bjovice, Czechia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"164","DOI":"10.1093\/mmy\/myw057","article-title":"Trichophyton erinacei in pet hedgehogs in Spain: Occurrence and revision of its taxonomic status","volume":"55","author":"Abarca","year":"2017","journal-title":"Med Mycol."},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"203","DOI":"10.3767\/persoonia.2022.48.06","article-title":"Host-driven subspeciation in the hedgehog fungus, Trichophyton erinacei, an emerging cause of human dermatophytosis","volume":"48","author":"Cmokov\u00e1","year":"2022","journal-title":"Persoonia."},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"765","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-4632.2004.02180.x","article-title":"The first isolation in Japan of Trichophyton mentagrophytes var. erinacei causing tinea manuum","volume":"44","author":"Mochizuki","year":"2005","journal-title":"Int J Dermatol."},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"417","DOI":"10.1007\/s11046-010-9333-2","article-title":"Trichophyton erinacei infection from a hedgehog: a case report from Taiwan","volume":"170","author":"Hsieh","year":"2010","journal-title":"Mycopathologia"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"74","DOI":"10.3390\/jof7020074","article-title":"Detection and control of dermatophytosis in wild European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) admitted to a French wildlife rehabilitation centre","volume":"7","author":"Le Barzic","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Fungi."},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1132","DOI":"10.3390\/jof9121132","article-title":"Hedgehog dermatophytosis: understanding Trichophyton erinacei infection in pet hedgehogs and its implications for human health","volume":"9","author":"Kottferov\u00e1","year":"2023","journal-title":"J Fungi."},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1080\/00362176485190021","article-title":"Trichophyton mentagrophytes var.","volume":"3","author":"Smith","year":"1964","journal-title":"erinacei. 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