A 7‐year survey of dermatophytoses in Crete, Greece

Abstract

Dermatophytoses are of worldwide distribution. Epidemiological studies concerning dermatophyte infections have been performed in many countries and differences in the incidence and the aetiological agents have been reported in different geographical locations. This study was undertaken to investigate the prevailing species of dermatophytes in the island of Crete, Greece, and their pattern of infection during a 7-year period (1997-2003). A total of 5544 samples obtained from 3751 patients with clinically suspected dermatomycoses were examined mycologically in the laboratory of Clinical Microbiology at the University Hospital of Crete, Greece. Skin, hair and nail specimens were subjected to direct microscopy and culture. Dermatophytes were isolated from 520 patients (13.9%). Trichophyton rubrum was the most frequently isolated dermatophyte accounting for 48% of the infections, followed by Microsporum canis (17.9%), Trichophyton mentagrophytes var. interdigitale (14.2%) and Epidermophyton floccosum (6%). Tinea unguium, tinea pedis, tinea corporis, tinea capitis, tinea cruris, tinea manuum and tinea facei were the clinical types of dermatophytoses in decreasing order of frequency. Trichophyton rubrum is the predominant dermatophyte in our area. As the epidemiology of dermatophytoses is changing over time it is important to review periodically the incidence of dermatophytes and their distribution.

Dermatophytosis, Trends in Epidemiology and Diagnostic Approach

“…In Greece, T. rubrum is also predominant, as demonstrated in a study conducted in Crete between 1992 and 1996 in which T. rubrum was the most frequent dermatophyte (44.4 %) isolated, followed by M. canis (24 %), T. interdigitale (3.4 %) and T. verrucosum (1.8 %) [31]. A few years later (1997)(1998)(1999)(2000)(2001)(2002)(2003), the same authors reported the same dermatophyte distribution: T. rubrum (48 %), M. canis (17.9 %), T. interdigitale (14.2 %), E. floccosum (6 %) [32,33]. In Spain, while few studies are available, a 5-year retrospective survey performed in a dermatology clinic in Zaragoza during the period 1991-1995 showed a predominance of M. canis (44 %) associated with tinea corporis, followed by T. mentagrophytes and T. rubrum (18.6 %) [34].…”

Study of fungal pathogen in onycomycoses patients attending the teaching hospital

“…2 In the present study commonest causative agent is dermatophyte which is observed in most of the studies on onychomycoses conducted in India and outside the India. 4,7 Amongst the dermatophyte T. rubrum was most common isolate (42%) followed by T. mentagrophyte and E. flocossum. Jha et al find the same observation in study on superficial mycoses and T. mentagrophyte followed by T. rubrum and E. flocossum Scher et al found that rate of isolation of T. mentagrophytes and T. rubrum was very high which can be explained on the basis of its capacity to infect the hard keratin of the nail.…”

Distribution and Prevalence of Dermatophytes in Semi-Arid Region of India

“…Dermatophytes are classified into three habitual species as Anthropophilic, Zoophilic, and Geophilic species in an environment [12] [32] [33]. Their habitat depends on the survival host as human, animals and soil [34] [35].…”