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Summary: The disease burden of chronic‐relapsing and therapy‐refractory superficial dermatophytosis dramatically increased in India within the past 5‐6 years. In order to evaluate the prevalence of this trend, 201 skin scrapings were collected from patients from all parts of India and were tested for dermatophytes using both fungal culture and a PCR‐ELISA directly performed with native skin scrapings. Fungal culture material was identified by genomic Sanger sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and the translation elongation factor (TEF)‐1α gene. In total, 149 (74.13%) out of the 201 samples showed a dermatophyte‐positive culture result. Out of this, 138 (92.62%) samples were identified as Trichophyton (T.) mentagrophytes and 11 (7.38%) as Trichophyton rubrum. The PCR‐ELISA revealed similar results: 162 out of 201 (80.56%) samples were dermatophyte‐positive showing 151 (93.21%) T mentagrophytes‐ and 11 (6.79%) T rubrum‐positive samples. In this study, we show for the first time a dramatic Indian‐wide switch from T rubrum to T mentagrophytes. Additionally, sequencing revealed a solely occurring T mentagrophytes "Indian ITS genotype" that might be disseminated Indian‐wide due to the widespread abuse of topical clobetasol and other steroid molecules mixed with antifungal and antibacterial agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biocompatibility of six different compression stockings and cytotoxic effects were determined using HaCaT keratinocytes, L929 mouse fibroblasts, primary adult and juvenile keratinocytes Cells were quantified using a luminometric ATP assay and the photometric BCA test. Cytotoxic effects were determined by LDH release. An area-based extraction ratio of 1.25 cm2:mL could be shown to be superior to the weight-based extraction of test material. Extraction medium should be an acidic sweat solution as this helps to recreate in vivo conditions. Monolayer cultures of HaCaT keratinocytes or L929 mouse fibroblasts should be used for testing. Primary adult keratinocytes or primary juvenile keratinocytes can also be used. For the latter, testing under DMEM with FCS is recommended to achieve comparable results. It was found that the compression stockings tested exhibited no negative influence on cell viability in vitro and no direct cytotoxic effects measured as release of LDH. Hence, good biocompatibility could be asserted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Deep trichophytosis is relatively uncommon. The infection of the bearded area is also known as sycosis barbae or tinea barbae and can be caused by various fungal species, most often zoophilic fungi. We report on an 80‐year‐old male patient with severe sycosis barbae who had no animal contact and was treated with systemic antibiosis without improvement. Microbial and mycological investigations using swabs from oozing lesions revealed Staphylococcus haemolyticus and Candida parapsilosis. Histology demonstrated fungal elements in hair follicles. Paraffin‐embedded material was subjected to further mycological analysis. For molecular diagnostics DNA was prepared from paraffin sections for real‐time polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR). For sequencing, DNA was isolated from paraffin‐embedded skin tissue and the ITS region of the rDNA was selected. Sequencing of the ITS2 region of rRNA revealed a 100% accordance with Trichophyton (T.) verrucosum. Treatment with oral terbinafine achieved a complete remission. Sycosis barbae is an important differential diagnosis for infections of the bearded area. Nucleic acid amplification techniques (NAAT) are more and more used for direct examination of dermatophytes in clinical samples, eg T. verrucosum. NAAT are also used as culture confirmation tests for identification of rare dermatophytes like T. verrucosum. Today, singleplex and multiplex quantitative real‐time PCR (qRT‐PCR) assays for the detection of the most common dermatophytes including T. verrucosum in clinical specimens are available. Recently, an ITS2 PCR assay has been successfully used for direct detection of T. verrucosum in paraffin‐embedded formalin‐fixed skin tissue. The PCR is fast and highly specific. The sensitivity of direct molecular detection of the dermatophytes both in native clinical material, and in paraffin‐embedded skin tissue can been increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tinea capitis is a dermatophyte infection common among prepubertal children in sub-Saharan Africa and mainly caused by Trichophyton and Microsporum species. Accurate identification is challenging as conventional methods like culture and microscopy are slow andmostly based on morphological characteristics, whichmake them less sensitive and specific. Modern molecular methods, like polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays, are gaining acceptance and are quick as well as accurate. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical patterns of tinea capitis and to accurately identify themost common causative dermatophytes affecting the scalps of children aged 1 to 16 years attending the Skin Clinic at Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST), Mbarara, Uganda, East Africa, using both conventional mycological methods and PCR-ELISA for detection of dermatophyte DNA. One hundred fifteen clinical samples from children from Western Uganda attending the MUST Skin Clinic with a clinical diagnosis of tinea capitis were analyzed. T. violaceum was identified as the most common causative agent, followed by M. audouinii, T. soudanense, and T. rubrum. The early identification of the causative agent of tinea capitis is a prerequisite for the effective management of the disease, the identification of probable source and the prevention of spreading. Children with tinea capitis in Western Uganda should be treated by systemic therapy rather than topical preparations to ensure high cure rates as the most common causative dermatophytes T. violaceum exhibits an endothrix rather than ectothrix invasion of the hair follicle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genus Corynebacteria or Diphtheroids are aerobic, non-sporulating, pleomorphic Gram-positive and catalase-positive bacilli. Corynebacteria are a usual part of the human microbiome, but they may cause characteristic skin diseases. Corynebacterium minutissimum was fi rst isolated from erythrasma, but it is also involved in pitted keratolysis. The dominant species in trichobacteriosis (syn. trichomycosis) is C. tenuis. Diagnosis, differential diagnoses and treatment options are discussed in this review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Removal of nonvital tissue is an accepted method to eradicate biofilms and to stimulate wound healing. Debridement using a monofilament polyester fiber pad has clinically been shown to be effective as well as pain and trauma free. Methods: For in vitro determination of the cleansing capacity of this product compared to gauze swabs, a wound debridement model was used with glass plates coated with a bovine serum albumin solution, stained with hematoxylin. Both products were moistened and fixed to a weight connected to a regulated motor and were then pulled over the holding device with the coated glass plate under standardized conditions (power = 0.067 N/cm2, velocity = 1.6 cm/s). Results: At a low coating concentration (0.5%) both products were equally effective, but at a high concentration (1.5%) cleansing did not occur after 5 wipes. When wiping the plates 15 times, the debridement pad cleansed significantly (p < 0.001) better than gauze. When consecutively wiping 4 coated plates with a single debridement pad or swab, the pad exhibited and maintained a significantly higher cleansing capacity while gauze quickly lost its effect. Conclusion: Our in vitro test results indicated a higher cleansing capacity of the debridement pad compared to gauze swabs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports in vitro lipophilic antioxidant, inhibition of ʅ-amylase and antibacterial activities of extracts of peel and pulp of citrus samples from Aceh, Indonesia. HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography), phytochemical, and FTIR (fourier transform infrared) analysis detected carotenoids, flavonoids, phenolic acids and terpenoids, contributing to the biological potencies. Most peel and pulp extracts contained lutein and lower concentrations of zeaxanthin, α-carotene, β-carotene and β-cryptoxanthin. The extracts also contained flavanone glycosides (hesperidin, naringin and neohesperidin), flavonol (quercetin) and polymethoxylated flavones (sinensetin, tangeretin). L-TEAC (lipophilic trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity) test determined for peel extracts higher antioxidant capacity compared to pulp extracts. All extracts presented α-amylase inhibitory activity, pulp extracts showing stronger inhibitory activity compared to peel extracts. All extracts inhibited the growth of both gram (+) and gram (-) bacteria, with peel and pulp extracts of makin showing the strongest inhibitory activity. Therefore, local citrus species from Aceh are potential sources of beneficial compounds with possible health preventive effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]