Question 1: Microsporum involves:
- A. Skin and nails
- B. Hair and nails
- C. Skin, hair and nails
- D. Skin and hair (Correct Answer)
Explanation: ***Skin and hair***
- *Microsporum* species are **dermatophytes** that commonly cause superficial fungal infections
- They have a particular predilection for keratinized tissues like **skin and hair**, leading to conditions such as **tinea capitis** (scalp ringworm) and **tinea corporis** (body ringworm)
- This is the characteristic pattern for *Microsporum* species including *M. canis*, *M. audouinii*, and *M. gypseum*
*Skin and nails*
- While *Microsporum* can affect the skin, its involvement with **nails (onychomycosis)** is extremely rare
- Nail infections are typically associated with **Trichophyton rubrum** or **T. mentagrophytes**, not *Microsporum*
*Hair and nails*
- **Nail involvement** is not a characteristic of *Microsporum* infections
- The main sites of infection are hair and smooth skin, not nails
*Skin, hair and nails*
- Including **nails** as a site for *Microsporum* is inaccurate; its primary targets are skin and hair only
- While some dermatophytes (like *Trichophyton*) can affect all three tissues, *Microsporum* has specific tropism for skin and hair