Sporotrichosis is a subacute or chronic mycosis caused worldwide by the dimorphic species complex, Sporothrix schenckii. We studied 85 isolates recovered in Brazil to verify their identification and evaluate their in vitro antifungal susceptibility patterns. Based on phenotypic tests (microscopic features, ability to grow at 30°C and 37°C, colony diameters, as well as assimilation of sucrose and raffinose) and molecular assays (amplification of a fragment of the calmodulin gene), the strains were identified as S. schenckii, S. brasiliensis and S. globosa, with a predominance of S. schenckii isolates. There was 37.7% disagreement between the phenotypic and genotypic identification methodologies. In general, terbinafine was the most active drug, followed by ketoconazole and itraconazole, and the less active fluconazole and voriconazole. Five isolates (one S. globosa and four S. schenckii) were found to be itraconazole-resistant strains but, in general, there were no differences in the in vitro antifungal susceptibility profiles among the Sporothrix species.

Introduction: Dermatophytoses are considered a public health problem. The objectives of this study were to determine the evolution of their prevalence in the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre, Brazil, and to analyze the dermatophyte species distribution according to body site and demographic characteristics of the patients. Methodology: This work was a retrospective analysis of data from patients attending a tertiary care hospital during 1996-2011. Results: There were 9,048 cases with cultures positive for dermatophytes. Trichophyton rubrum occurred in 59.6% of the cases, followed by Trichophyton interdigitale (34%), Microsporum canis (2.6%), Epidermophyton floccosum (1.5%), Microsporum gypseum (1.3%), and Trichophyton tonsurans (0.9%). The angular coefficients for T. interdigitale, E. floccosum, T. rubrum, and M. canis were +1.119, +0.211, -0.826 and -0.324% per year, respectively. Males presented higher prevalence of infection (79.3% versus 53.9%). Tinea unguium occurred in 48.5% of the cases, followed by tinea pedis (33.1%). T. rubrum was the predominant species in all regions of the body except the scalp, where M. canis was responsible for 75% of the cases. Conclusion: Monitoring of the evolution of dermatophytosis tracks changes in prevalence over the years and may assist practical measures for the public health control of this disease.

BACKGROUND: The pre va len ce of der ma tophy to sis in the gene ral popu la tion is high, par ti cu larly in patients with chronic renal fai lu re. Treatment requi res the use of topi cal and/or syste mic anti fun gal drugs. The effi cacy of anti fun gal agents for the treat ment of der ma tophy to sis has yet to be eva lua ted. Studies eva lua ting the in vitro acti vity of anti fun gal agents are rare, par ti cu larly in fila men tous fungi. OBJECTIVE: To eva lua te the sus cep ti bi lity pro fi le of dif fe rent spe cies of der ma tophy tes iso la ted from patients with chro nic renal fai lu re to nine anti fun gal drugs avai la ble on the mar ket for the treat ment of der ma tophy to sis. METHODS: Twenty-six iso la tes of der ma tophy tes obtai ned from patients with chro nic renal fai lu re were analy zed with res pect to their sus cep ti bi lity to nine anti fun gal agents (keto co na zo le, ciclo pi rox ola mi ne, flu co na zo le, gri seo ful vin, itra co na zo le, mico nazo le, piroc to ne ola mi ne, ter bi na fi ne and tio co na zo le), using the broth micro di lu tion method pro po sed by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) and adap ted for der ma tophy tes. RESULTS: Of the anti fun gal agents tes ted, the best results in terms of sen si ti vity were found with ter bi na fi ne and tio co na zo le, while the anti fun gal acti vity of flu co na zo le was found to be weak, par ti cu larly against strains of M. gypseum. Ciclopirox ola mine, although less effec ti ve than ter bi na fi ne, also yiel ded satis fac tory results. CONCLUSIONS: In gene ral, the sen si ti vity pro fi le of the anti fun gal agents tes ted in this study was simi lar to results obtai ned in previous stu dies, con fir ming the need to deter mi ne which spe cies is cau sing the der ma tophy to sis given that anti fun gal sus cep ti bility varies from one spe cies to ano ther. Furthermore, the pre sent fin dings show the impor tan ce of con duc ting in vitro sen si tivity tests, since the sen si ti vity pro fi le may dif fer among iso la tes of the same spe cies. Keywords: Antifungal agents; Arthrodermataceae; Kid ney fai lu re chronic; Mycoses Resumo: FUNDAMENTOS: As der ma to fi to ses apre sen tam alta pre va lên cia na popu la ção em geral e, prin ci pal men te, em pacien tes com insu fi ciên cia renal crô ni ca, neces si tan do tra ta men to com anti fún gi cos tópi cos e/ou sis tê mi cos, cuja efi cá cia pre ci sa ser avalia da. Estudos in vitro para ava liar a ação de anti fún gi cos são raros, espe cial men te, em fun gos fila men to sos. OBJETIVO: Avaliar o per fil de sus ce ti bi li da de de dife ren tes espé cies de der ma tó fi tos, iso la dos de pacien tes com insu fi ciên cia renal crô ni ca, em rela ção a nove anti fún gi cos dis po ní veis comer cial men te para o tra ta men to de der ma to fi to ses. MÉTODO: Analisaram-se 26 iso la dos de der ma tó fi tos de pacien tes com insu fi ciên cia renal crô ni ca em rela ção a nove anti fún gi cos (cetoco na zol, ciclo pi rox ola mi na, flu co na z...

SUMMARYPityriasis versicolor is the most common of the diseases caused by Malasseziayeasts. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of pityriasis versicolor and its etiological aspects in the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre, Brazil. A retrospective crosssectional study with data from patients of a reference hospital from 1996 to 2011 was performed. Collected data included: date, age, gender, ethnicity, anatomical region of lesion and the direct mycological examination results. Among the positive results in the direct mycological examination, 5.8% (2,239) were positive for pityriasis versicolor. The angular coefficient (B) was -0.3%/year, showing a decrease over the years. The disease was more prevalent in men (7.1% of men versus 5.1% of women that underwent the direct mycological examination); younger age (median 31 years old); "pardo" and black people (3.7% more than expected in the sample); trunk (73.44% of the affected anatomic sites). Lesions in rare sites (groin, genitals, legs, feet and hands) were also observed in this study. In conclusion, due to the decrease in the prevalence of pityriasis versicolor, long-term epidemiological studies in the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre, Brazil, are needed to continue the monitoring of this disease.

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Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of peracetic acid (PAA) for the disinfection of dental acrylic resins experimentally contaminated with Candida albicans, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Methods: Fifteen materials were used for each type of resin (thermosetting, self-curing and microwave-curing). Each material was placed in a test tube containing culture medium with a suspension of each microorganism and then incubated. The materials were rinsed and transferred to other tubes containing 50 mL of water for 5 min, 0.2% peracetic acid for 5 min or glutaraldehyde for 30 min. The materials were placed in the culture agar and incubated. Microbial growth was determined by colony counting after plating. Results: Candida albicans growth was inhibited by peracetic acid and glutaraldehyde treatments. The number of colonies on resins treated with saline was greater than 10 5 CFU/mL. In resins infected with E. coli, S. aureus and P. aeruginosa the colony growth was not inhibited by saline and peracetic acid, but it was totally inhibited by glutaraldehyde. Conclusion: Surface disinfection using peracetic acid effectively inhibited C. albicans growth on all acrylic resins.

Introduction: Nanoparticle solutions have been studied to improve antimicrobial effect. The aim of this study was to develop, characterize, and evaluate the in vitro and in vivo antiseptic efficacy of 0.25% aqueous-based chlorhexidine nanoemulsion (NM-Cl 0.25% w/v). Methods: The NM-Cl 0.25% w/v (2.5mg/mL) and free chlorhexidine nanoemulsion (FCN; same composition of NM-Cl without the molecule of chlorhexidine) were synthetized by the spontaneous emulsification method. Characterization analyses of physical and chemical properties were performed. The NM-Cl 0.25% w/v was compared with chlorhexidine 0.5% alcohol base (CS-Cl 0.5%) in vitro studies (microdilution study and kill curve study), and in vivo study (antisepsis of rats dorsum). Kruskal-Wallis test was used between groups and inside the same group, at different sample times and the Mann-Whitney test was performed when difference was detected. Results: The NM-Cl 0.25% w/v presented adequate physicochemical characteristics for a nanoemulsion, revealing a more basic pH than FCN and difference between zeta potential of NM-Cl 0.25% w/v and FCN. The NM-Cl 0.25% w/v and CS-Cl 0.5% solutions were more effective on Gram-positive than on Gram-negative bacteria (p≤0.05). NM-Cl 0.25% w/v presented upper antiseptic effect in the microdilution study and residual antiseptic effect was maintained for a longer time when compared to CS-Cl 0.5% (kill curve study). The four-fold (minimal inhibitory concentration) of NM-Cl 0.25% were the formulations with most durable effect within those tested, presenting residual effect until T6 for both bacteria. In the in vivo study, both formulations (NM-Cl 0.25% w/v and CS-Cl 0.5%) had a reduction of the microorganisms in the skin of the rats (p<0.0001) not revealing any difference between the formulations at different times, showing the antiseptic effect of NM-Cl (p≤0.05). Conclusion: Both in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that NM-Cl showed promising future as an antiseptic for cutaneous microbiota.

Dihydroxyacetone (DHA), a three-carbon sugar, is the browning ingredient in commercial sunless tanning formulations. DHA preparations have been used for more than 50 years and are currently highly popular for producing temporary pigmentation resembling an ultraviolet-induced tan. In this work, the in vitro antifungal activity of dihydroxyacetone was tested against causative agents of dermatomycosis, more specifically against dermatophytes and Candida spp. The antifungal activity was determined by the broth microdilution method according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines for yeasts and filamentous fungi. The data obtained show that the fungicidal activity varied from 1.6 to 50 mg ml(-1). DHA seems to be a promising substance for the treatment of dermatomycosis because it has antifungal properties at the same concentration used in artificial suntan lotions. Therefore, it is a potential low-toxicity antifungal agent that may be used topically because of its penetration into the corneal layers of the skin.