Species distribution of the main aetiologic agents causing skin dermatophytosis in Colombian patients: A 23‐year experience at a Mycological Reference Center

Abstract

| INTRODUC TI ONDermatophyte infections are a type of infection produced by different groups of pathogenic fungi for humans and some animals. These fungi can invade keratinised structures such as the stratum corneum, hair and nails. 1,2 Dermatophytosis is among the most frequently diagnosed skin infections worldwide. 3,4 It is produced by dermatophytes that can digest and use keratin as a substrate, comprising seven genera with four being recognised as affecting human beings, namely, Trichophyton, Microsporum, Nannizzia or Epidermophyton. 5 These can be classified, according to their habitat, as anthropophilic, geophilic and zoophilic. In studies conducted in Latin America, the five most frequent dermatophytes in the general population were Trichophyton rubrum (70%), Microsporum canis (13%), Trichophyton mentagrophytes Summary Background: Dermatophytosis is one of the most frequent superficial mycoses in the world. Main aim: To describe the cases of skin dermatophytosis and its main aetiologic agents in patients referred to a Mycological Reference Laboratory in Medellín, Colombia. Methods: A retrospective study was carried out with records of patients referred between 1994 and 2016 to the Corporación para Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB), Medellín-Colombia, because of clinical suspicion of skin dermatophytosis. Results: Of a total of 5628 clinical records of patients with suspicion of skin dermatophytosis analysed, 2780 (49.4%) had a proven or probable dermatophytosis diagnosis, 2774 cultures were performed, and aetiologic agents were isolated in 2576 samples (92.9%). The most frequently isolated aetiologic agents were Trichophyton rubrum (44.3%), followed by Trichophyton mentagrophytes complex (33.3%), Epidermophyton floccosum (12.4%), Nannizzia gypseum complex (5.7%, formerly Microsporum gypseum),Microsporum canis (3.5%) and Trichophyton tonsurans (0.8%). The most frequent clinical forms were tinea pedis (72.7%) and tinea corporis (12.7%). In addition, a group of patients (0.9%) developed mixed infections by two dermatophyte agents and another (4.1%) developed infections in more than one anatomical site. Conclusions:The results of the present study are coherent with previous reports where T rubrum and T mentagrophytes complex were the main causative agents of dermatophytosis. However, the increased incidence of N gypsea complex over M canis is worth highlighting. K E Y W O R D Sdermatophytosis, Epidermophyton, Microsporum, Nannizzia, tinea, Trichophyton | 495 CARRASCAL-CORREA Et AL.

The prevalence of dermatophytoses in Brazil: a systematic review

“…The most frequently isolated etiological agents in Colombia are T. rubrum , followed by T. mentagrophytes species complex , and E. floccosum . The most common clinical forms are tinea pedis and tinea corporis [22].…”

Human and Zoonotic Dermatophytoses: Epidemiological Aspects

“…In the last decade, a number of publications from different geographic areas focusing on dermatophytes' species epidemiology reported data from Eastern Europe (Colosi et al, 2020) and the Balkan (Otašević et al, 2019;Sakkas et al, 2020), from the Middle East (Ozkutuk et al, 2007;Armon et al, 2020), Africa (Coulibaly et al, 2018), South East Asia (Do et al, 2017), and South America (Silva-Rocha et al, 2017;Carrascal-Correa et al, 2020).…”

Cutaneous Fungal Infections Caused by Dermatophytes and Non-Dermatophytes: An Updated Comprehensive Review of Epidemiology, Clinical Presentations, and Diagnostic Testing

“…The prevalence and causative agents of tinea faciei vary across regions. The reported isolation rates range from 0.4% to 4.2% in various parts of the world [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 26 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 58 , 59 ], with more than 50% of cases observed in patients younger than 12 years of age [ 37 , 60 ]. In Europe, a study conducted in Portugal identified M. audouinii , T. soudanense , and T. rubrum as the main pathogenic agents [ 60 ].…”

“…In Africa, the estimated prevalence ranges from 2% to 41% [ 3 ]. In other regions, the prevalence of tinea corporis among isolated dermatophytes is estimated to be between 2.8% and 30.3% ( Table 2 ) [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 26 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 58 , 59 ]. Notably, in India, there has been a shift in prevalence over the past two decades, with T. mentagrophytes emerging as a replacement for T. rubrum [ 27 , 68 ].…”