Epidemiological and aetiological study on tinea pedis and onychomycosis in Algeria

Abstract

Epidemiological studies on tinea pedis and onychomycosis, common fungal infections, have been conducted in many parts of the world. There are currently no studies of tinea pedis and/or onychomycosis in Algeria. The aim of this paper was to study the epidemiology of foot diseases, including tinea pedis and onychomycosis and to identify the aetiological factors of these infections in outpatients attending the Department of Dermatology of the Central Hospital of Army in Algiers, Algeria. A total of 1300 male subjects, mean age 35.9 +/- 16 years (range: 16-80) were recruited during the period November 2003 to November 2004 and were clinically examined. A complete dermatological examination was performed on all subjects, and skin and nail specimens of the feet were taken from those patients presenting signs of tinea pedis and/or onychomycosis for microscopy and fungal culture. Clinical diagnosis for tinea pedis and onychomycosis was suspected in 249 and 72 subjects, respectively, and confirmed in 197 and 60 cases, respectively, by positive cultures, resulting in a global prevalence of tinea pedis and toenail onychomycosis of 15% and 4.6% respectively. The age groups most commonly infected were 50-59 and 20-29 years. The yeast species Candida parapsilosis and the dermatophytic species Trichophyton rubrum were shown to be the most common pathogens in both tinea pedis (C. parapsilosis 20.4%; T. rubrum 17%) and onychomycosis (T. rubrum 35%; C. parapsilosis 28.3%). This is the first investigation dealing with fungal foot diseases in Algeria. The clinical and epidemiological data collected would serve as reference for future research and may be useful in the development of preventive and educational strategies.

Onychomycosis in Iran: Epidemiology, Causative Agents and Clinical Features

“…The prevalence of onychomycosis of dermatophytic origin found in this study was higher in toenails(51.6%)than in fingernails(48.4%) ( Table 2) . Similar results have also been found in Iran 17,27) , Algeria 29) , Lebanon 19) , Canada…”

“…The most common species of Candida to have caused onychomycosis in our patients were C. albicans(27.5%)and C. parapsilosis(8.1%) , as has also been reported by others 16,17,20,21) . In two studies, 7,29) C.…”

Can we Prevent Onychomycosis?

“…Distal onycholysis with subungal hyperkeratosis develops over time. Almost all persons with DLSO have, or have had tinea pedis [4][5][6][7]. One exception would be direct inoculation of the fungus into the nail during a pedicure or other nail procedure.…”

Involvement of Serine Protease and Proteinase-Activated Receptor 2 in Dermatophyte-Associated Itch in Mice

“…Superficial cutaneous fungal infections, especially tinea, are very common in dermatological foot diseases, and cause skin conditions, such as scales, keratosis, erosion, and itching; itching is reported by approximately 50% of patients with tinea pedis (Cohen et al, 2002;Djeridane et al, 2006). Fungi proteinase has long been known to be pruritogenic in humans (Arthur and Shelley, 1955).…”