Tinea barbae caused by a zoophilic strain of Trichophyton interdigitale

Abstract

A deep absceding infection is reported of the inframandibular part of the face of a 22-year-old male student due to a zoophilic strain of Trichophyton interdigitale. The fungus was probably acquired from the cat of the patient. Initial therapy by a general practitioner was with topical glucocorticoids and oral antihistaminica. The patient developed a severe phlegmoneous inflammation of the bearded part of the face. Later, the patient was successfully treated by a combination of itraconazole and fluconazole. Identification of the species was confirmed by light and scanning microscopy as well as sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacer region of the ribosomal DNA.

Molecular characterization of dermatophytes of the Trichophyton mentagrophytes complex found in Taiwan with emphasis on their correlation with clinical observations

“…In the Americas and Asia, many dermatophytes of human origin, which were previously identified as T. mentagrophytes , should now be relabelled as T. interdigitale . Furthermore, medical mycologists and clinicians have since found that some animal‐contracted isolates had a genotype close to but distinct from that of T. interdigitale of human origin 5 . Thus, T. interdigitale was divided into two strains according to their source: the zoophilic strain of T. interdigitale and the anthropophilic strain of T. interdigitale .…”

Dermatofitoses: agentes etiológicos, formas clínicas, terapêutica e novas perspectivas de tratamento

“…Na África, tinea barbae é relativamente comum 63 . Nos EUA, em 2002, foi diagnosticado um caso em um paciente de 22 anos, ocasionado por uma espécie do gênero Trichophyton 64 . No Brasil, em um estudo na Paraíba, verificou-se a incidência em 1% da população 65 .…”