Superficial mycoses in Italy

A total of 1244 cases suspected of superficial mycoses were analysed in a period of 12 months in Italy. Dermatophytoses were found in 62.4%; the other common disease was Pityriasis versicolor (44.1%). The predominant speciesEpidermophyton floccosum (34,2%) was strickingly high in relation to other statistics; this species was commonest in tinea cruris. Among the other dermatophytesM. canis was predominant (31.3%) commonest in tinea corporis, followed byT. mentagrophytes (17,8%) andT. rubrum (10,3%). A high rate of yeasts was found in tinea manum (81.6%) and tinea pedis (47.7%).     

Superficial mycoses in a southern New Zealand district.

A total of 2,709 pathogenic fungi were isolated from 8,762 patients suspected as having mycotic disease, over an 8 year period in Christchurch, New Zealand. The district is climatically designated as temperate with average mean temperatures of 17 degrees C in summer and 8 degrees C in winter. The predominant species of fungi were relatively small in number with Trichophyton mentagrophytes var. interdigitals as the major pathogen. Fungi other than true dermatophytes, particularly Candida spp. and Malassezia furfur, were included to demonstrate the full spectrum of superficial mycoses presenting for diagnosis at the mycology clinic.     

海军某部长远航官兵浅部真菌病调查分析

目的了解海军某部长远航官兵浅部真菌病的发病情况,提出针对性预防措施,以降低发病率,提高远航部队战斗力。方法对某部长远航官兵在远航期间浅部真菌病发病情况进行调查,并对其发病原因进行分析。结果在2009年7月16日～2010年3月20日共9个月间该部官兵在执行长远航任务期间的浅部真菌病发病率为62.6%,发病原因主要为不良的环境卫生、生活习惯及诊治因素等。结论应改善环境卫生及培养良好的生活习惯,并进行多种形式的健康宣教,从而减少长远航官兵浅部真菌病的发病率。     

Superficial mycoses observed at the Department of Dermatology of the University of Pavia

Over a period of 13 years, 4100 specimens were cultured for fungi. Pityriasis versicolor (Malassezia furfur) was demonstrated in 17.6%, dermatophytosis in 34.6% and candidiasis in 10.8%. The most frequently isolated strains were M. canis (31.5%), T. rubrum (26.3%), E. floccosum (19.7%), T. mentagrophytes (19.3%) for the dermatophytes and C. albicans (88.9%). Those rarely seen were: M. gypseum, T. violaceum, M. audouini, T. schoenleinii. We observed the absolutely complementary results of the microscopic examinations and the cultures of the specimens.Abbreviations D Direct microscopic observation of the specimen - C Culture of the specimen - * Position of the table     

Prevalence of superficial mycoses in the Aosta Valley Region of Italy from 1984 to 1989

Two hundred and thirty soil samples from different localities were examined for the presence of geophilic keratinophilic fungi. Six species namely Microsporum gypseum — 34 isolates, Chrysosporium keratinophilum –29, C. tropicum –20, Keratinophyton terreum –4, Trichophyton terrestre –8 and Chrysosporium species – 3 — were isolated. Most of these fungi were recovered from garden, field and river bank soil. The importance of these findings is briefly discussed.     

Deep mycoses in India

Available published reports on deep mycoses in India have been critically and exhaustively reviewed. So far there seem to be only 9 cases of actinomycosis reported, mostly of thoracic type and diagnosed on the basis of the presence of sulphur granules in the lesions. Nocardiosis and its chief causal agentNocardia asteroides have received particular attention in recent studies. To-date there are 18 authentic cases reported from India and significantly 12 of these have been diagnosed by applying the paraffin bait technique to the isolation ofN. asteroides from sputa and other clinical specimens. In most of these 12 cases timely diagnosis allowed for the successful treatment of the disease with heavy doses of sulphadiazine. Case reports on cryptococcosis which include 26 adequately documented cases, have been published from various parts of the country. Occurrence ofCryptococcus neoformans in soil and its association with old pigeon excreta have also been confirmed by studies done in some northern and western regions of this country. The status of histoplasmosis in India still remains a debatable subject although there is a suggestive evidence that the disease may be endemic in the northeastern parts. There are 9 case reports in which diagnosis has been supported by histopathologic findings and in 3 cultures have also been positive. However, attempts to isolateHistoplasma capsulatum from soil or any other extra-human source have remained futile and the limited surveys have revealed only low skin sensitivity to histoplasmin and none to blastomycin and coccidioidin. As yet there is no authentic case of blastomycosis, coccidioidomycosis or paracoccidioidomycosis reported from India. Two cases of invasive aspergillosis and 6 of bronchopulmonary aspergillomas have been published. In the latterAspergillus fumigatus, A. niger andA. flavus have been found to be the aetiologic agents. In addition, a recent report on a series of 8 patients recognises for the first time the occurrence of allergic aspergillosis in this country. Two cases of phycomycoses, involving the lungs in one and brain in the other case have been described. Diagnosis of bronchopulmonary candidiasis has been claimed in as many as 16 patients by several authors but in none the evidence is unequivocal. The isolation ofCandida viswanathii from the cerebrospinal fluid of two fatal cases is suggestive of the possible aetiologic role of this new yeast in human meningitis. Besides, there are 3 cases of brain mycoses described in Indian literature, two due toCladosporium trichoides while in the third caseUstilago maydis, the causal agent of maize smut, has been implicated.     

Review of animal mycoses in Australia

This review covers the available literature on the mycoses of animals in Australia since the last review published in 1967. Of the cutaneous infections, dermatophytoses have been recorded in a wide range of animals: cattle, horses, goats, pigs, sheep, cats, dogs, mice, guinea-pigs, rabbits, a lion, kangaroos, a camel, koalas and wallabies. These infections were caused by several species and varieties of the genera,Microsporum andTrichophyton. Eight agents of ringworms have been recorded in the horse. Two subcutaneous mycoses, phaeohyphomycosis and sporotrichosis have been reported. Phaeohyphomycosis is becoming more common but sporotrichosis is rare having been recorded only once in a cat.The following systemic mycoses have been recorded: adiaspiromycosis, aspergillosis, candidiasis, cryptococcosis, dactylariosis, fusariomycosis, histoplasmosis, miscellaneous mycoses, mycotic abortion and related conditions, zygomycosis, pythiosis, protothecosis and green algal infections. Cryptococcosis has affected 11 different animal species. Mycotic abortion is a serious disease in Victoria. Pythiosis of horses has been extensively studied in northern Australia.     

Oral mycoses in the AIDS era

The present advancement and generalization of oral mycosis is probably due to different factors associated to the progress and development of the countries and the presence of medically compromised patients and immunosupressor therapies. From all these mycoses, oral candidosis is the commonest, but histoplasmosis and paracoccidioidomycosis are also important. The main clinicopathologic and therapeutic features of those oral diseases are reviewed in this paper.     

Histopathological diagnosis of mycoses

Infectious diseases emerge as a cause of pathology in our patients. Among the possible etiologies, mycoses have shown a considerable increase in the two last decades. In general, the clinical features of fungal diseases are not very distinctive. The morphology and the clinical aspects of the fungi serve as a protocol for their correct identification. Clinicians, microbiologists and pathologists are essential for the diagnosis. The pathologist using a simple and fast methodology can diagnose some types of mycosis, but they do not only identify the causal agent, but also the kind of injury that produces, the inflammatory response and the affected organ or organs. Moreover, they can classify the mycosis as superficial, cutaneous, subcutaneous, deep and systemic depending on the location. The present review paper describes study guidelines for the pathologist faced with a fungal infection and new technical advances that are established in pathology laboratories for a more precise identification of the mycoses.     

The mycoses of Oceania

A review of the mycoses of Oceania, defined as the Pacific islands of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia, has revealed the occurrence of cutaneous, subcutaneous and systemic mycoses.Tinea versicolor is the most prevalent of the cutaneous mycotic infections. Dermatophyte infections are also common. The etiologic agents incriminated have beenEpidermophyton floccosum, Microsporum canis, members of theMicrosporum fulvum-gypseum complex,Trichophyton concentricum, T. mentagrophytes, T. rubrum, T. tonsurans andT. verrucosum. Only one case of tinea nigra has been reported and that was in Hawaii. Among the fungi that cause subcutaneous mycoses onlyAllescheria boydii, Nocardia brasiliensis, Madurella mycetomi andSporothrix schenckii have been encountered to date. Among the systemic mycoses, actinomycosis, cryptococcosis and histoplasmosis have been found to be present. The geographic distribution of these actinomycotic and mycotic infections is provided along with data on soil isolation records and histoplasmin sensitivity surveys.Paper presented at the Symposium on Microbiology, Canadian Medical Expedition to Easter Island, Montreal, April 26–28, 1971     

Imidazoles in the treatment of ocular mycoses

The use of a new class of broad spectrum antifungal drugs i.e. imidazoles and in particular ketoconazole in treatment of severe affections of the eye such as mycoses is described. The clinical trials included 40 patients with various forms of mycosis: mycotic canaliculitis (6 patients), mycotic blepharitis (4 patients), mycotic conjunctivitis (7 patients), keratomycosis (17 patients) and mycotic endophthalmitis (6 patients). Ketoconazole was used in the form of tablets and instillations. The combined treatment included nonsteroid antiinflammatory drugs and antibacterial agents. The clinical trials showed that ketoconazole had pronounced antifungal activity and was rather efficient in treatment of ocular mycoses. Its broad spectrum and low toxicity were recorded.     

濮阳市部分浅部真菌病中癣菌和念珠菌混合感染的分析

目的了解濮阳地区部分浅部真菌病中两种及两种以上真菌混合感染的情况。方法对临床确诊为浅部真菌病的患者456例,取标本行10%KOH直接镜检、真菌培养及菌种鉴定。登记确诊患者相关临床资料,分析其中混合感染的发病特点。结果确诊皮肤癣菌和念珠菌混合感染病例36例,分离率为7.89%,多见于股部(58.33%)和足部(27.78%);分离菌株72株,皮肤癣菌中以红色毛癣菌为主(75.00%),念珠菌中以非白念珠菌为主(72.22%)。结论濮阳地区部分浅部真菌病中混合感染主要为皮肤癣菌和念珠菌的混合感染,多见于股部和足部;致病菌以红色毛癣菌和非白念珠菌为主。