Isolation ofMalassezia furfurfrom patients with onychomycosis

Abstract

Malassezia furfur (Pityrosporum ovale /P. orbiculare) was found microscopically and by culture in the nails in 14 of 370 patients seen for treatment of onychomycosis in Silo Paulo, Brazil. The clinical features, predisposing factors and laboratory diagnosis are discussed.

Case report on Malassezia infection of palms and fingernails – speculations on cause for therapeutic failure in pityriasis versicolor

“…Our case and other reports 1–3 substantiate that M. furfur can cause onychomycosis. Whether M. furfur is the pathogenic culprit or merely an innocent bystanding coloniser remains debatable, as keratolytic properties of this pathogen were not well established.…”

“…Malassezia spp. onychomycosis has been reported on immunocompetent 1,2 and immunocompromised 3 subjects. To our best knowledge, Malassezia furfur palmar infection was never reported before.…”

Skin diseases associated with Malassezia species

“…A possible link between Malassezia and transient acantholytic dermatosis has also been suggested, 152 again on the basis of the response of the disorder to selenium sulfide. Finally, although up to 90% of cases of onychomycosis are caused by dermatophytes, there have been several reports in the literature 153,154 of patients with onychomycosis from whom Malassezia yeasts have been isolated. Yeasts do not normally colonize nails, as they are not a good source of lipids.…”

Identification and typing of Malassezia yeasts using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLPTm), random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE)

“…M. furfur is known from healthy and diseased skin [4^6], nails [7], but also from systemic and mucosal sites, such as urine, vagina and blood [5,8^13]. M. furfur is known from healthy and diseased skin [4^6], nails [7], but also from systemic and mucosal sites, such as urine, vagina and blood [5,8^13].…”

“…The di¡erent species of Malassezia are known from various hosts, sites and diseases, but their pathological role has not been fully elucidated. M. furfur is known from healthy and diseased skin [4^6], nails [7], but also from systemic and mucosal sites, such as urine, vagina and blood [5,8^13]. M. furfur infections have been observed in hospitalized neonates with very low birth weight receiving intravenous lipid emulsions [9,10,13^15].…”