Prevalence of superficial‐cutaneous fungal infections in Shiraz, Iran: A five‐year retrospective study (2015–2019)

Abstract

Background Superficial and cutaneous fungal infections are common in tropical areas. The aim of this study was to provide a basic database of superficial and cutaneous mycoses and the most common etiological agents among patients. Methods Between 2015 and 2019, a total of 1807 patients suspected of superficial and cutaneous mycosis referring to the mycology laboratory of Shiraz medical school, Fars, Iran were evaluated. Specimens were taken from the patients’ affected area, and clinical samples were examined by direct microscopy and culture. The epidemiological profile of the patients was collected. Results A total of 750 patients were confirmed with mycoses. Positive samples totaled 750 cases consisting of the nail (373/49.7%), skin (323/43%), head (47/6.26%), and mucosal membrane (4/0.5%). The yeasts group included 304 Candida spp. (70.3%), 123 Malassezia spp. (28.47%), and 5 Rhodotorula spp. (1.1%). The filamentous fungi were distributed as 34.8% dermatophytes and 7.5% non‐dermatophyte. The clinical types of dermatophytosis were tinea unguium (110/261), tinea capitis (50/261), tinea pedis (48/261), tinea corporis (37/261), and tinea cruris (16/261). Non‐dermatophyte molds included A. flavus 17, A. niger 4, Aspergillus spp. 15, Penicillium. 10, Fusarium 6, Mucor 2, Stemphylium 1, and Alternaria 1. Conclusion This study provides useful data for the study trends of superficial and cutaneous fungal infections in a specific area. The mycological data confirmed higher incidence of candidiasis (mainly onychomycosis) and dermatophytosis in patients affected by fungal pathogens, which helped to better understand the epidemiological aspects of these mycoses.

Epidemiology of dermatomycoses in children in Northern Mato Grosso 2015‐2020

“…In the past, it was thought to be a post‐pubescent disease; however, current evidence shows that versicolor pityriasis is not uncommon in school children. Several studies indicate its emergence even in the neonatal period in association with factors such as prematurity, hospitalisation in intensive care units, high humidity in incubators, direct contact with affected family members and persistence of maternal hormones 1,2,7,10,16 . Concerning the most affected anatomical site, our data corroborate with the data obtained by Morais et al 34 and Oliveira et al 16 In most cases, the disease affects mainly the back, abdomen and upper limbs, where sebum production is higher.…”

“…Several studies indicate its emergence even in the neonatal period in association with factors such as prematurity, hospitalisation in intensive care units, high humidity in incubators, direct contact with affected family members and persistence of maternal hormones. 1,2,7,10,16 Concerning the most affected anatomical site, our data corroborate with the data obtained by Morais et al 34 and Oliveira et al 16 In most cases, the disease affects mainly the back, abdomen and upper limbs, where sebum production is higher. Malassezia species are dependent on exogenous lipids because they lack fatty acid synthase genes, except M pachydermatis.…”

“…They can be extremely contagious, provoking microepidemics in preschoolers and school children, but they also occur in rural areas. Several factors account for the incidence of superficial and cutaneous mycoses, including bioclimatic conditions favouring the development of saprophytic fungi; sweating; prolonged contact with pets (cats and dogs), which are potential reservoirs of certain dermatophytes; and contaminated water from swimming pools and surrounding risk areas (paving close to pools) 1‐4 …”

Antifungal susceptibility pattern of Candida isolated from cutaneous candidiasis patients in eastern Guangdong region: A retrospective study of the past 10 years

“…The prevalence of cutaneous candidiasis varies regarding the geography, demography of patients, type of the fungal pathogen, and many other environmental factors (Kühbacher et al, 2017). In the current study, the prevalence rate of cutaneous candidiasis over the past decade was 22.29% which makes it different from other regions of the world, where it is reported to be 40.5% in Iran, 57% in Serbia, and 82.9% in Brazil (de Albuquerque Maranhão et al, 2019;Otašević et al, 2019;Khodadadi et al, 2021). The difference in the prevalence might be due to different environmental conditions and the social status of the populations (Zareshahrabadi et al, 2021).…”

In vitro antidermatophytic activity of bioactive compounds from selected medicinal plants

“…Reports indicate health concerns due to public parks and school playgrounds as ideal environment for the growth of pathogenic fungal dermatophytes (Dehghan et al 2019 ; Taghipour et al 2021 ). Especially, prevalence of dermatophytic infections is more common in tropical countries due to high temperature, humidity and sweating (de Albuquerque Maranhão et al 2019 ; Araya et al 2021 ; Khodadadi et al 2021 ). Besides the evolutionary pressure from the antifungal drugs, it is now identified that environmental pressures including the climate change are affecting the fungal evolution to confer novel traits including virulence and antifungal resistance (Nnadi and Carter 2021 ).…”