Part 1: Understanding the role of Malassezia spp. in skin disorders: Malassezia yeasts as commensal or pathogenic organisms of human and animal skin

spp. are a group of lipid-dependent basidiomycetes yeasts acting as commensal organisms of the human and animal skin. However, under some not well-defined circumstances, these yeasts may switch to opportunistic pathogens triggering a number of skin disorders with different clinical presentations. The genus comprises of 18 lipid-dependent species with a variable distribution in the hosts and pathologies thus suggesting a host- and microbe-specific interactions.