Trichophyton

1 9.9

A kind of fungus that causes skin infections like ringworm in people and animals

noun
/ˌtrɪkəˈfɪtən/

Specialized

: Trichophyton

Microsporum gypseum and Trichophyton mentagrophytes were the most frequently isolated dermatophytes.
Trichophyton mentagrophytes

Examples

It is caused by a variety of zoophilic, anthropophilic, and geophilic dermatophytes of the genera Microsporum and Trichophyton.

Academic text (2007)
Of the isolated species, Microsporum gypseum and Trichophyton mentagrophytes are the most prevalent isolates.

Academic text (2007)
Some species of Trichophyton can lead to infections like athlete's foot in humans.
Veterinarians often treat skin infections caused by Trichophyton in pets.
During the study, researchers identified Trichophyton as a common cause of ringworm in cattle.

Surface Forms

Trichophyton singular

Trichophytons plural

Morphology

Trichophyton = tricho + phyton

This is a learned scientific genus name formed from Greek combining elements; these elements are technical combining forms not productive standalone English words for most learners, so the meaning is not transparently inferable.

Etymology

Trichophyton comes from Greek parts tricho- 'hair' and -phyton 'plant'. A helpful image is a 'hair-plant' to remember that these fungi often grow on hair and skin and cause infections like ringworm, so the name points to fungi that live on hair and skin.