Search

Background: Epidermophyton floccosum (E. floccosum), an anthropophilic dermatophyte, is the primary causative agent of skin conditions such as tinea cruris, tinea pedis and tinea corporis., Objectives: This study aimed to determine the prevalence and characteristics of E. floccosum-induced dermatophytosis, with particular emphasis on the types of infections and demographic profiles., Methods: In this retrospective study, patient records from the dermatology outpatient clinic were scrutinized, covering the timeframe from January 2009 to December 2020. Eligibility for the study required a dermatophytosis diagnosis verified by microscopic examination and fungal culture., Results: Of the 4669 confirmed dermatophytosis cases, 82 (1.8%) were attributable to E. floccosum infection. The proportions of male and female patients with E. floccosum infections were 50.0% each. The most common presentation was tinea pedis (39.0%), followed by tinea cruris (37.8%) and tinea corporis (26.8%). The mean age at disease onset for tinea cruris was 38.7 ± 18.7 years, which was lower than that for tinea pedis (50.6 ± 14.2 years) and tinea corporis (53.5 ± 16.4 years). However, these age differences were not statistically significant. A continuous decrease in E. floccosum isolation was observed over the study period., Conclusions: There was a steady decline in the prevalence of E. floccosum dermatophytosis over the 12-year study period. Despite the decreasing trend, tinea cruris, tinea corporis and tinea pedis remained the predominant clinical manifestations of E. floccosum infection., (© 2024 The Authors. Mycoses published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Background: Dermatophytosis is one of the most frequent superficial mycoses in the world., Main Aim: To describe the cases of skin dermatophytosis and its main aetiologic agents in patients referred to a Mycological Reference Laboratory in Medellín, Colombia., Methods: A retrospective study was carried out with records of patients referred between 1994 and 2016 to the Corporación para Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB), Medellín-Colombia, because of clinical suspicion of skin dermatophytosis., Results: Of a total of 5628 clinical records of patients with suspicion of skin dermatophytosis analysed, 2780 (49.4%) had a proven or probable dermatophytosis diagnosis, 2774 cultures were performed, and aetiologic agents were isolated in 2576 samples (92.9%). The most frequently isolated aetiologic agents were Trichophyton rubrum (44.3%), followed by Trichophyton mentagrophytes complex (33.3%), Epidermophyton floccosum (12.4%), Nannizzia gypseum complex (5.7%, formerly Microsporum gypseum), Microsporum canis (3.5%) and Trichophyton tonsurans (0.8%). The most frequent clinical forms were tinea pedis (72.7%) and tinea corporis (12.7%). In addition, a group of patients (0.9%) developed mixed infections by two dermatophyte agents and another (4.1%) developed infections in more than one anatomical site., Conclusions: The results of the present study are coherent with previous reports where T rubrum and T mentagrophytes complex were the main causative agents of dermatophytosis. However, the increased incidence of N gypsea complex over M canis is worth highlighting., (© 2020 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.)