Analysis of Trichosporon isolates obtained from the houses of patients with summer-type hypersensitivity pneumonitis

Summer-type hypersensitivity pneumonitis (SHP) is type III or IV allergies developed by repeated inhalation of arthroconidia of Trichosporon species. We identified 105 strains obtained from the homes of 36 SHP patients by analysis of the intergenic spacer (IGS) 1 region, which is located between the 26S and 5S rRNA genes; in addition, we analyzed the IGS genotypes of the strains. Serologically, Trichosporon species are classified as serotype I, II, III, or I-III. Of the 105 strains, 43 (41.1%), 53 (50.5%), and 9 (8.6%) strains were isolated as serotypes I, II, and III, respectively. Serotype I, II, and III strains were recovered from 19 (52.8%), 29 (80.6%), and 4 (11.1%) of the 36 houses of SHP patients, respectively. No serotype I-III strains were isolated from the houses. Of 43 serotype I strains, 42 (97.7%) were identified as Trichosporon dermatis, and the remaining one was T. terricola. Of 53 serotype II strains, 37 (69.8%) were identified as T. asahii, and the remaining serotype II isolates were T. aquatile (1.9%), T. coremiiforme (7.5%), T. faecale (1.9%), T. japonicum (15.1%), and T. ovoides (3.8%). There were nine serotype III strains comprised of T. montevideense (77.8%) and T. domesticum (22.2%). Intraspecies diversity was found only in T. asahii. This microorganism also causes opportunistic infections (trichosporonosis); seven genotypes of its IGS I region have been identified. While the strains of T. asahii obtained from Japanese patients with trichosporonosis were genotype 1, the strains from the houses of SHP patients were genotype III. Based on our analysis, we conclude that the strains that play the most significant roles in the development of SHP are T. dermatis, T. asahii genotype 3, and T. montevideense, representing serotypes I, II, and III, respectively.