Dermatophytes isolated in our clinic of Santiago de Compostela (Spain) in the last 27 years

Onychomycosis due to Microsporum gypseum

The first four cases of onychomycosis due to Microsporum gypseum observed in Italy between 1990 and 1997 are reported. clinical manifestation was distal subungual onychomycosis in all cases. The lesions were asymptomatic in two patients. Three patients were treated with oral itraconazole (pulsed therapy) and the other with ciclopirox 8% nail lacquer. Clinical and mycological recovery was achieved in all cases. The cases are reported because of their rarity.

Frequency of Trichophyton rubrum in tinea capitis

Trichophyton rubrum has led to unprecedented worldwide suppression of other dermatophytes which had been predominant earlier as a causative agent of superficial dermatomycoses. In tinea capitis on the other hand, several other species of Trichophyton or Microsporum are dominant depending on the region or continent. Tinea capitis caused by T. rubrum is a rare event worldwide. Occasional concentrations may be explained by several cases occurring by chance in one family or community. The relative frequency of this causative agent in tinea capitis in children is under 1%. In adults, however, where tinea capitis occurs very infrequently indeed, the incidence of T. rubrum appears to exceed 10%. Apart from two studies from India, one from Iran, two from Portugal and observations from Germany, which in the first country report of around 30% of all cases published, while the others document some 10% each, there are not only any conspicuous, unequivocal concentrations at all. Increased frequency of T. rubrum in this clinical picture has not been easily recognizable over the last decades due to low absolute case numbers.

Incidence of dermatophytoses in rabbit farms in Catalonia, Spain, and its repercussion on human health

Over the past decades there has been an important increase in the incidence of dermatophytoses in humans as a result of contact with animals, although etiological agents can vary as can the animals transmitting the disease. A large-scale study was carried out in 220 farms raising rabbits for consumption. Most of the farms (85%) were located in the autonomous community of Catalonia (Spain). Mycological studies showed that 79.5% of the rabbits were infected with Trichophyton mentagrophytes var. granulosum. Microsporum canis was isolated in only two animals, which had been imported from France. Healthy animal carriers were detected in 3.2% of the apparently non-infected farms. T. mentagrophytes were also found in samples taken from rabbits' nests and from the surrounding environment of the two infected farms. In a survey carried out among the staff responsible for the care of the animals, 77% of those working on infected farms suffered or had suffered dermatophytic lesions. This was confirmed in 8 out of 10 cases sampled. Attention is drawn to the high incidence of dermatophytoses in rabbits on farms and the importance of T. mentagrophytes as the etiological agent of tinea in people in close contact with infected animals.

Review of dermatophytoses in Galicia from 1951 to 1987, and comparison with other areas of Spain

We have reviewed all the dermatophytoses diagnosed in Galicia during four consecutive 9-year periods 1951-86 and 1987. From 4571 patients, we isolated 3351 fungal strains belonging, in decreasing order of frequency, to the following dermatophyte species: Microsporum canis (25.5%), Trichophyton rubrum (24.6%), T. mentagrophytes (21.4%), Epidermophyton floccosum (11.8%), M. gypseum (5.2%), T. tonsurans (3.9%), T. verrucosum (3.1%), T. schoenlenii (2.5%), T. violaceum (1.2%), T. mengninii (0.3%), M. audouinii (0.2%), T. equinum (0.1%) and T. soudanense (0.1%). Tinea capitis has diminished in frequency since 1951, though there was been a slight increase since 1978; M. canis has always been the most common agent, and between 1951 and 1959 T. schoenleinii was also very frequent but is no longer found. The frequency of tinea corporis, on the other hand, has experienced a considerable increase. Its most common causal agents in the last few years have been T. mentagrophytes, M. canis and T. rubrum. Until 1977 the most common tinea cruris dermatophyte was E. floccosum, but since then it has been T. rubrum. The commonest tinea pedis dermatophytes have been T. rubrum and T. mentagrophytes. Tinea unguium and tinea barbae have been the most frequent dermatophytoses, and their commonest causal agents T. rubrum and T. mentagrophytes respectively. We have documented the distribution of the various causal agents by location of the lesions, age and source of the patients (private or National Health Service patients), and we have compared the results with those obtained in other regions of Spain.

Multicenter study of dermatophyte distribution in the metropolitan area of Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain)

The results of a multicenter study on the distribution of dermatophyte species in the metropolitan area of Barcelona (Spain) are presented. In the period 1977-1983, 638 dermatophyte strains were isolated from tineas by three different mycological laboratories. Zoophilic strains were prevalent comprising 64.4% of the isolates. T. mentagrophytes var. granulosum was isolated in 51% of the cases. A significant drop in the prevalence of T. tonsurans and T. violaceum was noted. Important variations were observed in dermatophyte distribution in relation to other geographical areas of Spain.