Microsporum gypseum
complex is a group of geophillic dermatophytes with a worldwide distribution and is a rare cause of dermatomycoses in humans. The infection most commonly presents as tinea ...corporis, with some geographical and occupational variations. We studied
M. gypseum
complex infections in patients examined in the Mycological Laboratory of the Department of Dermatovenereology, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, during the period 2000–2015. Diagnosis was confirmed by mycological examination. Skin scales were examined by direct microscopy and cultivated on Sabouraud glucose agar. A total of 226 patients were identified, representing 1.5% of all dermatophyte infections during the study period. Tinea corporis was diagnosed in majority of patients, followed by tinea manus, tinea faciei, tinea inguinalis and tinea pedis. Tinea capitis was observed in three and onychomycosis in two patients only. Infection was disseminated on different parts of the body in nine patients. In 39% of patients, infection was diagnosed in children younger than 9 years. Face and scalp infection was more often observed in children. The incidence was the highest during July and October. Contacts with soil and domestic animals were often reported. Data on the prevalence and clinical characteristics of
M. gypseum
complex infection in other countries are reviewed.
Abstract
Tinea pedis, which is a dermatophytic infection of the feet, can involve the interdigital web spaces or the sides of the feet and may be a chronic or recurring condition. The most common ...etiological agents are anthropophiles, including Trichophyton rubrum sensu stricto, which is the most common, followed by Trichophyton interdigitale and Epidermophyton floccosum. There has been a change in this research arena, necessitating a re-evaluation of our knowledge on the topic from a multidisciplinary perspective. Thus, this review aimed to provide a solid overview of the current status and changing patterns of tinea pedis. The second half of the twentieth century witnessed a global increase in tinea pedis and a clonal spread of one major etiologic agent, T. rubrum. This phenomenon is likely due to increases in urbanization and the use of sports and fitness facilities, the growing prevalence of obesity and the aging population. For optimal patient care and management, the diagnosis of tinea pedis should be verified by microbiological analysis. In this review, we discuss the epidemiology, clinical forms, complications and mycological characteristics of tinea pedis and we highlight the pathogenesis, prevention and control parameters of this infection.
Superficial Fungal Infections Kaushik, Neha; Pujalte, George G A; Reese, Stephanie T
Primary care,
12/2015, Letnik:
42, Številka:
4
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Superficial fungal infections grow in dark and moist areas and invade various parts of the body. These infections are easily treatable in immunocompetent individuals. In immunosuppressed individuals, ...the presentation can be quite severe, requiring use of more potent antifungal agents. The treatment for these conditions consists of topical antifungal agents, creams, and oral systemic medications. The use of prednisone can alter the appearance of superficial fungal infections, making them difficult to diagnose. It is important for primary care providers to become adept at understanding the epidemiology, transmission, clinical presentation, diagnosis techniques, and treatment options available.
Background
Dermatophytoses are the most common infectious skin disease. Its epidemiology varies in different countries and regions, and its prevalence in China is still unknown.
Objectives
We aimed ...to reveal the epidemiological features of dermatophytoses in Chinese mainland in the past thirty years.
Methods
From 1991 to 2020, a 30‐year retrospective epidemiological study was carried out. All published literatures containing dermatophytoses and dermatophytes were collected and analysed.
Results
A total of more than 180,000 cases in 124 articles from more than 100 hospitals were included and analysed. Among dermatophytoses, tinea cruris (24.92%) was the predominant clinical type, followed by tinea pedis (22.97%) and tinea corporis (18.12%). In recent 10 years, tinea pedis (25.40%) was more common than tinea cruris (22.39%) and became the most common infection. Among dermatophytes, T rubrum (69.48%) has always been the most common isolates, followed by T mentagrophytes (16.45%) and M canis (8.09%). Other species were found below 3%. In superficial mycoses, dermatophytes accounted for 75.52%, higher than that of yeasts/yeast‐like (21.83%) and moulds (2.65%). The prevalence of tinea capitis was lower in economically developed eastern region than that in central and western regions. Tinea cruris was more common in warm zones than cold zones.
Conclusions
The top three dermatophytoses are tinea cruris, tinea pedis and tinea corporis, while the top three dermatophytes are T rubrum, T mentagrophytes and M canis. The distribution of dermatophytoses may be influenced by socioeconomic status and geographical‐meteorological conditions.
Background
Tinea faciei is a relatively uncommon dermatophyte infection. The studies, which included clinical forms, and isolated species of dermatophytes, are limited.
Materials and Methods
This ...retrospective study aims to determine the causative organism, clinical characteristics, treatments and outcomes of patients with tinea faciei attending the dermatologic clinic, Siriraj Hospital, from 1 January 2017 to 30 September 2021. Demographic data, clinical presentations, isolated dermatophyte species, treatments and outcomes were collected and analysed.
Results
A total of 151 tinea faciei cases were observed. Trichophyton rubrum (48.6%), Trichophyton mentagrophytes complex (22.2%) and Microsporum canis (18.1%) were common causative agents. Tinea faciei was commonly detected in females (64.9%) with a history of pets (54.6%). Clinical presentations often involved plaques and scales on the cheeks. Among patients with lesions on the cheek, mycological cure was observed significantly less often compared to those without cheek lesions. Patients with other concurrent skin or nail infections, a history of topical steroids and a history of previous fungal infection had a slightly longer duration of mycological cure than those without factors. Recurrent infection was found in 33.3%. Male, history of previous fungal infection, and lesions on the cheeks were significantly associated with recurrent infection.
Conclusions
Fungal infection of the face was commonly found in women and patients with pets. The most common pathogen that caused tinea faciei was T. rubrum. Topical antifungal treatments could be used with favourable outcomes. The history of past infection and lesion on the cheeks should be carefully assessed to be vigilant for recurrent infection.
Arthroderma benhamiae
is a zoophilic dermathophyte that can cause highly inflammatory tinea corporis and tinea capitis in humans. This is the first report of a patient with dermatophytosis caused by
...A. benhamiae
in Brazil. The lesion was an erythematous, annular plaque on the lumbar region that appeared few weeks after playing with a street cat in a 19-month-old girl. Initial presumed diagnosis was tinea corporis caused by
Microsporum canis
. Topical treatments were ineffective and the patient required systemic treatment with griseofulvin. Mycological diagnosis was inconclusive: morphological differentiation between
M. canis
and
Trichophyton benhamiae
may be difficult, especially when the latter present yellow colonies. The etiological agent was identified only by ITS sequencing of the isolates aligned with reference strains to
A. benhamiae
. This report highlights the importance of ITS sequencing in the identification of isolates from some cases of dermatophytosis, because conventional morphological diagnosis may result in misdiagnosis of the agent and delay proper treatment.
Summary
In the last few years, infections caused by dermatophytes along with a concomitant increase in the number of difficult to treat cases have increasingly been recognised, indicating that ...dermatophytosis remains a challenging public health problem. The majority of infections are caused by Trichophyton rubrum and Trichophyton mentagrophytes complex. Terbinafine, an allylamine antifungal used orally and topically is considered to be a first‐line drug in the therapy of dermatophyte infections. Terbinafine resistance has been predominately attributed to point mutations in the squalene epoxidase (SQLE) target gene a key enzyme in the ergosterol biosynthetic pathway leading to single amino acid substitutions. Here, we report the largest series of 20 terbinafine‐resistant Trichophyton interdigitale isolates obtained predominately from cases of tinea corporis/cruris in three hospitals in Delhi, India exhibiting elevated MICs (4 to ≥32 μg/mL) to terbinafine and all harbouring single‐point mutations Leu393Phe or Phe397Leu in the SQLE gene. In 12 (60%) T. interdigitale isolates, the Phe397Leu substitution was observed, whereas in the remaining 8 (40%) isolates the substitution Leu393Phe was reported for the first time in T. interdigitale. Furthermore, 10 susceptible T. interdigitale isolates (0.125‐2 μg/mL) had a wild‐type genotype. Remarkably, considerably high terbinafine resistance rate of 32% was observed among 63 T. interdigitale isolates identified by sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer region. This high level of terbinafine resistance of Indian dermatophyte isolates is worrisome warranting antifungal susceptibility testing and mutation analysis for monitoring this emerging resistance.
We report an outbreak of Trichophyton soudanense causing tinea capitis and corporis in an orphanage in Myanmar. The thirty orphan children were suspected to have anthropophilic tinea but zoonotic ...tinea could not be excluded as all children were playing with stray dogs. Direct mycological examinations of hair and scalp samples showed filaments but culture assays remained sterile. We revealed T. soudanense as the infectious agent by PCR amplification of extracted fungal DNA and further sequencing of the PCR products. Children were successfully treated by terbinafine and reinfection was prevented by hygiene measures. This case report shed the light on T. soudanense infection on another continent than Africa and on the significant help of PCR identification.
Introduction
Wrestling, considered the national sport of Iran, has gained immense popularity among Iranians. Wrestlers frequently encounter skin conditions, with dermatophyte fungal infections, ...particularly tinea gladiatorum (TG), being a common issue. TG, caused by the Trichophyton genus, has emerged as a major health concern for wrestlers and other contact sport athletes worldwide. This study aimed to assess the genotypic diversity and antifungal susceptibility of Trichophyton tonsurans isolates responsible for TG in Iranian wrestlers from Mazandaran province, northern Iran.
Materials and Methods
A total of 60 clinical T. tonsurans isolates collected from various cities in Mazandaran, were included in the study. The isolates were identified through PCR‐restriction fragment length polymorphism and sequencing methods. Genomic DNA was extracted from these isolates, and the non‐transcribed spacer (NTS) region of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) was targeted for genotyping using newly designed primers. Haplotype analysis was performed to explore genetic diversity, and antifungal susceptibility to terbinafine (TRB) and itraconazole (ITC) was assessed.
Results
The results revealed five distinct NTS types: NTS‐I, NTS‐II, NTS‐III, NTS‐IV and NTS‐V, with NTS‐IV being the most prevalent. The distribution of NTS types varied across different cities, suggesting potential transmission patterns among wrestlers. Antifungal susceptibility testing showed that all isolates were susceptible to TRB, while one isolate demonstrated resistance to ITC. Genotypic diversity was not correlated with antifungal susceptibility, emphasising the importance of monitoring susceptibility to ensure effective treatment. Haplotype analysis highlighted significant genetic diversity among the T. tonsurans isolates. This diversity may be attributed to factors such as human‐to‐human transmission, geographic location and lifestyle changes. The study's findings underscore the need for comprehensive genotypic analysis to understand the epidemiology and evolution of T. tonsurans infections in athletes.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this study provides valuable insights into the genotypic diversity and antifungal susceptibility of T. tonsurans isolates causing TG in Iranian wrestlers. The presence of multiple NTS types and varying susceptibility patterns highlights the complexity of T. tonsurans infections in this population. Further research is warranted to track the transmission routes and genetic evolution of T. tonsurans strains among wrestlers and develop effective control measures.
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