Causative Agents of Superficial Mycoses in Istanbul, Turkey: Retrospective Study

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to determine the percentage of agents, which can give rise to superficial fungal infections in Istanbul, Turkey. Between 2000 and 2007, the clinical samples collected from 8,200 patients attending the outpatient Dermatology Clinic at Mihrimahsultan Medical Center were examined by direct microscopy and culture. Pathogen fungi were detected in 5,722 of the patients. Of the isolates were 4,218 (74%) dermatophytes, 1,196 (21%) Candida sp., 170 (3%) Malassezia furfur, and 138 (2%) Trichosporon sp. Among the dermatophytes, Trichophyton sp. was the most common isolate followed by Epidermophyton floccosum (243) and Microsporum sp. Among the Candida species, C. albicans (549) was also frequently found. Onychomycosis was the most prevalent type of infection, followed by tinea pedis, tinea cruris, tinea corporis, and tinea capitis. In conclusion, our study showed that the most common isolated agents from superficial infections were T. rubrum being Candida sp. the second most prevalent.

Superficial Fungal Infections in Children

“…In our trial, we detected an overall ratio of 0.28%, 11% among the SFIs, 24% between 3 and 5 years and at a higher ratio in males. Koksal et al reported a ratio of 54% between 2 and 15 years and at a higher ratio among males, similar to us (24).…”

“…In children, it occurs at a rate of 1% (30). The rate ranges between 0.07 and 08% in Turkish studies (3,12,14,24). In the foreign literature, the rates were as follows: 0.23% in Spain, 26.9-62.5% in Nigeria, 68% in India and 78% in Egypt (3, 6, 9, 29).…”

Causative Agents of Superficial Mycoses in Outpatients Attending Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty Hospital, in İstanbul, Turkey (01 April 2010 –01 June 2014)

“…For Trichosporon spp, these rates were in agree with findings reported in Istanbul by Kiraz [34] and higher than reported by Koksal [24]. For Fusarium spp, our findings were correlating well with Onychomycosis is caused mainly by dermatophytes but occasionally by nondermatophytic fungi.…”

“…Candida spp (24.9%) was the second prevailing pathogen recovered from our patients with dermatomycoses, a rate correlating well with comparable studies [24,28,30,34,35]. Fingernails were affected than toenails and females were affected more than males, like findings reported by Kiraz [34] and this may probably attributed to frequent emersion of hands in water.…”

“…60 years ago, the most widespread etiologic agent was reported to be Trichophyton schönleini [23], which was later succeeded by T. violaceum, M. canis and T. mentagrophytes. A seven year retrospective study in Istanbul by Koksal et al [24] reported the most common isolate as T. rubrum, being Candida spp the most prevalent. In the present study, T.schönleini was not isolated from specimens, and, T.violaceum was isolated very rare (0.6%), however T. rubrum was the most frequent dermatophyte isolated followed by T. mentagrophytes, suggesting the changes in epidemiology of dermatophytosis in Turkey in last 60 years.…”