Trichophyton soudanense is an anthropophilic dermatophyte originating in Africa. Over the last 30 years sporadic cases have been reported in countries that had colonial relations with the endemic areas. In recent times, as a result of growing racial mixing linked to migratory movements, this strain has become increasingly integrated with the species most commonly responsible for dermatophytoses. This phenomenon has occurred, although only recently, in Italy too, where there has been a heavy influx of foreign immigrants over the last few years.

Summary. Tinea pedis is a common and frequently recurring dermatophytic infection, which is extremely difficult to eradicate. The often inevitable persistence of predisposing conditions, especially maceration, suggests that application of powders containing antifungal medication to the affected area could be effective in preventive therapy against recurrence. For this study we used one of the most recent azole antifungal agents, fenticonazole. Thirty patients affected with tinea pedis were cured with topical antifungal treatment; both the diagnosis and the cure were confirmed by microscopic and cultural mycological analyses. The results of subsequent double blind antifungal versus placebo treatment (controlled with clinical and mycological tests over a period of 4 months and with a final statistic evaluation) confirmed the effectiveness of such therapy in reducing the frequency of tiresome relapses in such patients. Zusammenfassung. Tinea pedis ist eine ver‐breitete und oft rezidivierende Dermatophyten‐Infektion, die schwierig zu beseitigen ist. Die oft unvermeidbare Persistenz disponierender Faktoren, insbesondere Mazeration, legt die Vermutung nahe, daß die Anwendung antimyzetischer Puder am befallenen Bereich eine präventive Wirkung auf solche Rezidive haben könnte. In der vorliegenden Studie wurde Fenticonazol, eines der jüngst entwickelten Azol‐Antimykotika, eingesetzt. Dreißig Patienten mit Tinea pedis wurden mittels topischer antimykotischer Behandlung geheilt; Diagnose und Heilung wurden mikroskopisch und kulturell‐mykologisch abgesichert. Die Ergebnisse der anschließenden Doppelblindstudie: Fenticonazol gegen Plazebo, die klinisch und mykologisch über den Zeitraum von vier Monaten hinweg kontrolliert und statistisch ausgewertet wurden, belegen die Wirksam‐keit einer solchen Prophylaxe in der Reduktion der Häufigkeit der Rezidive an diesen Patienten.

Terbinafine has partly solved the well-known problems in the treatment of dermatophyte nail infections. The aim of our study was to assess the effectiveness of very short treatment of dermatophyte nail infections with four different courses of terbinafine with or without chemical onycholysis. For this purpose, 60 patients, divided into four groups, were given different courses of treatment with oral terbinafine. Clinical, mycological and tolerability tests were performed before, during and after treatment. Clear microscopy and culture findings confirmed cure rates in the four groups of 95%, 95%, 70% and 100% without any side-effects. In conclusion, terbinafine has proved to be effective and well tolerated in the very short-term treatment of dermatophyte nail infections.

No abstract