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Trichophyton soudanense is a dermatophyte wich is of highest incidence in Africa. Cases of tinea produced by this fungus have been described in England, Switzerland, Germany, Australia, the United States and Brazil. This investigation reports the first isolation of this fungus in Venezuela, from a lesion of the nail in a female patient who has always resided in Venezuela. The identification of this fungus was based on macroscopic and microscopic morphological characteristics; biological properties, scare or no growth when the only nitrogen source in the culture medium is provided by potassium or ammonium nitrate, and the production of dark pigment when inoculated in Lowenstein-Jensen medium. Experimental innoculation in animals produced an endothrix parasitism of the hair. Reference is made ot the incidence of the most frequently occuring dermatophytes in Venezuela.

The authors make an epidemiologic study of tinea pedis aiming at establishing its minimal frequency in the population studied, as well as recognizing the most frequent fungi and the clinical aspects they determine. We've tried to study the role of the dermatophytes in the normal microbiota of the feet. Finally we analyzed the influence of sex and seasonality factors on the incidence of tinea pedis.

Our study included children up to 15 years of age who were selected from an open population. We found a frequency of 3.4% and it ranked 3rd among the most common dermatoses. The age range varied between 1 year 9 months to 15 years. In only one case we found an important predisposing factor (lupus erythematosus which was treated with systemic steroids). It is concluded that this dermatosis is not as infrequent as it seems.

Diseases of the skin related to the use of swimming pools do not appear very often in medical reports. In this review of such diseases we designate changes in the skin and hair as being infectious, toxic or allergic in origin. Particular attention is given to allergenic additives in the water. There is no indication that public swimming pools in the Federal Republic of Germany present any danger to the skin.

A 10% random sample of all bathers at a public swimming bath were examined for tinea pedis and verruca.The overall incidence of tinea pedis was 8.5% and of verruca 4.8%. The incidence of tinea pedis in 205 male adults was 21.5%, in 288 boys 6.3%, in 60 adult females 3.3%, and in 220 girls 0.9%. The incidence of verruca in juveniles ranged from 4.2% in boys to 10.5% in girls.It was clear that both infections spread within the baths, and since a relatively small proportion of users admitted to taking precautions to avoid contracting or developing infections it seems advisable that more publicity about recommendations on foot care should be provided.

The feet of 259 new patients at a chiropody clinic were examined for tinea pedis, onychomycosis, and erythrasma: 23% of men and 4% of women were infected by dermatophytes, and the nails of seven males were infected by non-dermatophytes. Of 200 patients examined under Wood's light 37% showed the coral-red fluorescence of erythrasma.Of the 259 patients, 9.7% were infected by Trichophyton interdigitale, 2.7% by T. rubrum, and 1.5% by Epidermophyton floccosum. Reasons are given, based on the method of selection of the patients, for supposing that T. interdigitale is still the dominant cause of tinea pedis in the population at large, despite figures from dermatological clinics suggesting the dominance of T. rubrum. The high incidence of infection in males compared with females corresponds with similar findings in school-children.