Descriptive study of onychomycosis in a hospital in São Paulo

Abstract

Onychomychosis, a nail fungus infection is the most frequent nail ailment, constituting about half of all nail disorders. It can be caused by dermatophytes, non-dermatophytes, yeasts and Prothoteca spp. Methods include 5407 samples of patients with suspected onychomycosis, studied from January 2002 to December 2006, by direct mycological examination and fungi culture. The diagnosis of onychomycosis was confirmed in samples from 3822 direct mycological and/or culture positive. The diagnosis was established by culture for fungi. Among the 1.428 identified agents, the dermatophytes were responsible for 68.6% (N = 980) of cases, followed by yeasts with 27.6% (N = 394), non-dermatophytes fungi with 2.2% (N = 31), Prothoteca spp with 0.1% (N = 2), and associations with 1.5% (N = 22). Females were more affected, with 66% (N = 2527) of cases, and the most affected age group ranged from 31 to 60 years of age (median 47 years). Fungal microbiota is often changed in the world, both quantitatively and qualitatively, and is affected by several environmental factors. Thus, the periodic review of the composition of this microbiota is important to evaluate the epidemiology and thus proportion a better therapeutic response.

Fungal diseases in children and adolescents in a referral centre in Bogota, Colombia

“…Dermaphytoses were the most common mycoses in the analysed population, with tinea capitis and tinea unguium (toenails) predominating. Tinea capitis has been described in different countries as the most common fungal infection in school‐aged children, and in our study similar findings were found. With respect to aetiology, M. canis was cultured in 89.7% of cases, the source of infection might have been infected animals, healthy asymptomatic carriers, or fomites .…”

“…The frequency and distribution of this group of fungi can vary according to the geographical location, socioeconomic, cultural and migratory factors . In Latin America, Microsporum canis and Trichophyton rubrum are the most frequently reported aetiological agents of tinea capitis and tinea unguium respectively . In adult population, moulds are increasingly involved in skin and nail infections worldwide, unfortunately epidemiological descriptions of these dermatomycosis among children are lacking.…”

The prevalence of unsuspected onychomycosis and its causative organisms in a multicentre Canadian sample of 30 000 patients visiting physicians' offices

“…Onychomycosis is a stubborn, difficult to treat, fungal infection of the nail bed and plate, and accounts for approximately 50% of all nail disease . Studies estimating the prevalence of onychomycosis have recently been published from Italy, Iran and Brazil . The prevalence of onychomycosis in the North American population has been reported to be as high as 13.8% .…”

“…1 Studies estimating the prevalence of onychomycosis have recently been published from Italy, 2 Iran 3 and Brazil. 4 The prevalence of onychomycosis in the North American population has been reported to be as high as 13.8%. 5 Studies differ in terms of the selected sample (population-or hospitalbased) and geographic location 6 and these factors may account for the variation in prevalence estimates reported in the literature.…”

The first report of onychomycosis caused by Cryptococcus friedmannii ( Naganishia friedmannii ) a basidiomycetous yeast

“…laurentii ) were isolated of onychomycosis in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients [5] . Also, Prothoteca spp was reported as the first causative agent of onychomycosis in Brazil which was the 3rd case in the world [16] . The distribution of pathogens of onychomycosis is not uniform.…”