Isolation of Malassezia spp. in HIV-positive patients with and without seborrheic dermatitis

Abstract

BackgroundMalassezia, a skin saprophyte, is frequently isolated from patients with seborrheic dermatitis, which is one of the most common dermatoses in HIV-infected patients. Its role in pathophysiology has not been defined.ObjectiveTo determine whether patients living with HIV and seborrheic dermatitis have more Malassezia than those without seborrheic dermatitis.MethodThis is an descriptive, observational, prospective cross-sectional study to which all adult patients living with HIV that attend the infectious disease outpatient clinic at the Dr. Manuel Gea González General Hospital were invited. Patients presenting with scale and erythema were included in Group 1, while patients without erythema were included in Group 2. Samples were taken from all patients for smear and culture.ResultsThirty patients were included in each group. All patients with seborrheic dermatitis had a positive smear, with varying amounts of yeasts. In the control group, 36.7% of patients had a negative smear. The results are statistically significant, as well as the number of colonies in the cultures.Study limitations The study used a small sample size and the subspecies were not identified.ConclusionsPatients with clinical manifestations of seborrheic dermatitis have larger amounts of Malassezia. Further studies need to be performed to analyze if the greater amount is related to imbalances in the microbiota of the skin.

Prevalence of Malassezia species on the skin of HIV-seropositive patients

“…The most recent study of Moreno-Coutino et al showed very similar results (rate of Malassezia isolation from patients with CD4+ counts > 500, 200-499, and < 200 cells/mm −3 was 60%, 27%, and 13%, respectively). Interestingly, patients with SD did not show this correlation in their study 39 . www.nature.com/scientificreports/ Another explanation is antifungal prophylaxis in immunosuppressed patients.…”

“…The most recent study of Moreno-Coutino et al showed very similar results (rate of Malassezia isolation from patients with CD4+ counts > 500, 200–499, and < 200 cells/mm −3 was 60%, 27%, and 13%, respectively). Interestingly, patients with SD did not show this correlation in their study 39 . A possible explanation of this association is the disequilibrium of concurrent microbiota of skin due to the extensive treatment of viral, bacterial, and fungal dermatoses in neutropenic patients.…”

“…So far, only very few studies have investigated the distribution of Malassezia spp. on the healthy skin of the HIV-infected patients [34][35][36][37][38][39] . This work analyzed whether the composition of Malassezia spp.…”

Chronic Diseases Associated with Malassezia Yeast

“…In some quantitative culture studies, the density of Malassezia was found to be higher in the skin of HIV patients compared to non-HIV controls [68]. One recent study in particular reported that the positive culture rate and density of Malassezia were very high in 30 HIV patients with seborrheic dermatitis (76.7%) compared to 30 HIV patients without seborrheic dermatitis (50%) [69]. This high rate could be explained by the number of CD4 cells present in the patients, as in the seborrheic dermatitis patients, 24 had <500 CD4 cells including nine with <200 CD4 cells.…”

Terapia Farmacológica Da Esofagite Eosinofílica: Revisão De Literatura

“…Em humanos, espécies do fungo Malassezia fazem parte da microbiota da pele e, portanto, o equilíbrio populacional do fungo é fundamental para a saúde deste órgão. Assim, como em outros animais, quando em alta densidade populacional pode desencadear dermatites em humanos, sendo frequentes em indivíduos HIV positivos (MORENO-COUTINO et al, 2019).…”