Longitudinal analysis of the skin microbiome in association with hand eczema, hand hygiene practices and moisturizer use.

BACKGROUND: The skin microbiota maintains a physical and immunological barrier to the environment. Little is known about how the microbiome changes over time or the effect of hand hygiene practices and moisturizer use. OBJECTIVES: To assess sex-specific changes in skin bacteria over time, and how the microbiome is related to self-reported hand eczema, hand hygiene practices and use of moisturizers. METHODS: Swab samples from the dorsal hand were collected at baseline and 6.5 years later during the COVID-19 pandemic, in 168 participants from the RHINESSA study in Bergen, Norway. The skin samples were analysed by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. RESULTS: The alpha diversity of the hand microbiome increased from baseline to follow-up, and beta diversity differed by sex at both time points. The relative abundance increased for several bacteria from baseline to follow-up, with sex-specific differences. Current hand eczema and aggravating hand eczema during the COVID-19 pandemic were associated with an increase in Staphylococcus. High hand washing frequency at home was associated with lower alpha diversity and with higher abundance of Staphylococcus, Corynebacterium, Finegoldia, and Pseudomonas and lower abundance of Propionibacterium and Pelomonas. The alpha diversity increased with increasing time passing between hand washing and sampling, whereas more frequent moisturizer use was associated with significantly lower alpha diversity, and a change in abundance for some bacteria, such as more Pseudomonas. CONCLUSIONS: This longitudinal study revealed an overall increase in skin microbial diversity over a 6-year period, which was unexpected since follow-up was performed during the COVID-19 pandemic when vigorous hand hygienic practices were introduced. Sex-specific differences were identified at both time points. Individuals with hand eczema seem to develop a more dysbiotic skin bacterial community over time. Hand washing and use of moisturizers, with typically gender-specific habitual patterns, may lead to change in bacterial composition.

Gout-like hands.

A 65-year-old man presented to our hospital with a 1-year history of multiple nodules on his arms and hands without itching or pain.

Clinico-mycological study of onychomycosis in a tertiary care hospital-A cross-sectional study.

Onychomycosis (OM), has a worldwide prevalence of 5% and 0.5%-5% in India. Trichophyton. rubrum (T rubrum) and T mentagrophytes are the most commonly isolated fungi. As the clinical and mycological characteristics change with time and geographical region; it is important to study the temporal and topographic patterns periodically. The study was conducted to identify the epidemiological and clinico-mycological characteristics of patients with OM attending a tertiary care hospital in Delhi. Hundred patients with clinical diagnosis of OM were recruited. Among these, 88 patients who tested positive for OM on direct microscopy with KOH, culture and/or histopathology with periodic acid-Schiff were included in the study. The clinico-mycological characteristics and risk factors associated with OM were evaluated. OM was more common in males (M:F = 2.5:1). The mean age of patients with OM was 39 ± 15.3 years (SE 1.52) with mean disease duration of 27.6 ± 46.1 months (SE 4.9). Seventeen (19.3%) patients had concomitant diabetes mellitus. The patients displayed mean body mass index (BMI) of 25.67 ± 1.35 kg/sq m. Concurrent dermatophytosis of skin was present in 35 (39.77%) patients. Two feet-one hand syndrome was present in 5 patients. Fingernail involvement without toenail involvement was more common than toenail involvement alone. (43.18% vs 38.63%). Distal and lateral subungual OM (DLSO) was the commonest clinical variant (81.8%). Mycological culture showed growth in 47 (53.40%) patients. Dermatophytes were isolated in majority, that is in 30 (63.82%) patients followed by non-dermatophytic moulds (NDM) in 7 (14.8%) and Candida spp. in the remaining 10 (21.27%) patients.

Clinical significance of Candida isolation from dystrophic fingernails.

BACKGROUND: Candida onychomycosis mostly involves fingernails. Yet, in contrast to dermatophytes, Candida isolation from dystrophic fingernails does not prove casualty, as sample contamination and non-pathogenic Candida growth occur. Characterising treatment outcome of Candida-positive dystrophic nails is crucial to avoid unnecessary treatment. OBJECTIVE: To investigate predicators associated with treatment outcome among Candida-positive dystrophic fingernails. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was carried out among 108 adults with Candida-positive dystrophic fingernails not cured with adequate systemic anti-fungal course. Diagnosis was based on a single mycological culture. Patients with treatment failure (n = 85; 78.7% of the cases) were compared to patients with partial response (mild to almost cure; n = 23; 21.3% of the cases) at 9 to 12 months following treatment initiation. RESULTS: Treatment failure was significantly associated with primary onycholysis (odds ratio [OR] 2.8; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1-7.4) and prolonged dystrophy (12.8 vs. 3.7 years in average), compared to partial treatment response. Non-responders had lower odds to present with distal lateral subungual onychomycosis, compared to partial responders (OR 0.3; 95% CI 0.1-0.7). Demographic and mycological characteristics, as well as number of nails affected, co-presence of paronychia, and treatment regime were not found to be associated with treatment response. CONCLUSION: Candida-positive primary onycholysis was shown to be non-responsive to systemic anti-fungal treatment, suggesting that anti-fungal treatment is not indicated. For other clinical scenarios, high proportions of treatment non-response suggest that determining causality of Candida should not be based on a single positive mycological culture.

Colonization with Staphylococcus aureus in patients with hand eczema: Prevalence and association with severity, atopic dermatitis, subtype and nasal colonization.

BACKGROUND: While Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) colonization has been thoroughly studied in atopic dermatitis (AD), where S. aureus is related to flares and considered a trigger factor, S. aureus colonization in hand eczema (HE) has only been sparsely studied. OBJECTIVES: To examine the 1-week prevalence of S. aureus colonization in HE patients, and its association with severity, HE subtype, AD, and nasal S. aureus colonization compared with healthy controls. METHODS: In a case-control study of 50 adult HE patients and 50 healthy controls, bacterial swabs from lesional skin (patients only), non-lesional skin (dorsal hand), and the nasal cavity were sampled for culturing of S. aureus on days 1, 3, 5 and 8. Participants were characterized by demographics, AD, HE subtype, filaggrin gene mutation status, and HE severity. RESULTS: Twenty-seven HE patients (54%) were colonized with S. aureus on the hand compared to one control (2%) (P < .01). Nasal S. aureus colonization was found in 72% of patients and 22% of controls (P < .01). For patients, S. aureus colonization on the hands was associated with an atopic HE subtype and HE severity (P = .01 and P < .01, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Both hand and nasal S. aureus colonization were highly prevalent among HE-patients and may have an impact on the persistence of HE.

Onychodystrophy as the only sign of congenital candidiasis.

Congenital candidiasis infection often presents as a skin rash with variable involvement of nails and mucous membranes. Isolated nail involvement is rare, may present late, and can often be managed with topical antifungal medication. We report a case of congenital candidiasis limited to the fingernails that resolved completely within 3 months with topical treatment.

Infrared spectroscopy as a novel tool to diagnose onychomycosis.

BACKGROUND: The determination of causative organisms of onychomycosis is still not optimal. There remains a need for a cheap, fast and easy-to-perform diagnostic tool with a high capacity to distinguish between organisms. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether attenuated total-reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy can detect and differentiate causative agents in culture-based, ex vivo nail and in vivo nail models. METHODS: A methodological study was conducted. Both the ex vivo nail model and in vivo pilot study were carried out in an academic university hospital. RESULTS: Analysis of cultured fungi revealed spectral differences for dermatophytes (1692-1606 and 1044-1004 cm-1 ) and nondermatophytes and yeasts (973-937 cm-1 ), confirmed by dendrograms showing an excellent separation between samples from different genera or species. Exploration of dermatophytes, nondermatophytes and yeasts growing on ex vivo nails exposed prominent differences from 1200 to 900 cm-1 . Prediction models resulted in a 96·9% accurate classification of uninfected nails and nails infected with dermatophytes, nondermatophytes and yeasts. Overall correct classification rates of 91·0%, 97·7% and 98·6% were obtained for discrimination between dermatophyte, nondermatophyte and yeast genera or species, respectively. Spectra of in vivo infected and uninfected nails also revealed distinct spectral differences (3000-2811 cm-1 , 1043-950 cm-1 and 1676-1553 cm-1 ), illustrated by two main clusters (uninfected vs. infected) on a dendrogram. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that ATR-FTIR spectroscopy may be a promising, fast and accurate method to determine onychomycosis, including identification of the causative organism, bypassing the need for lengthy fungal cultures.

Onychomycosis: Clinical overview and diagnosis.

Onychomycosis is a fungal nail infection caused by dermatophytes, nondermatophytes, and yeast, and is the most common nail disorder seen in clinical practice. It is an important problem because it may cause local pain, paresthesias, difficulties performing activities of daily life, and impair social interactions. In this continuing medical education series we review the epidemiology, risk factors, and clinical presentation of onychomycosis and demonstrate current and emerging diagnostic strategies.

A 15-year retrospective study on the prevalence of onychomycosis in psoriatic vs non-psoriatic patients: A new European shift from dermatophytes towards yeast.

Because of their similar clinical presentation, discrimination between nail psoriasis and onychomycosis often is difficult. We aim to investigate the actual frequency of onychomycosis in psoriatic patients and to compare it between psoriatic and non-psoriatic patients. This retrospective study included a total of 9281 patients, referring to our Mycology Laboratory from September 2003 to May 2018. The patients are divided into two groups: PsoGroup (patients with psoriasis) and non-PsoGroup (non-psoriatic patient). Direct microscopic examination with 20% KOH and culture was carried out in both groups. In PsoGroup (711 patients, 59.50% female, 40.50% male, median age of 52.22 ± 15.01), the prevalence of onychomycosis was 49.08%. On the other hand, in non-PsoGroup (8570 patients (71.65% female, 28.35% male, median age of 48.51 ± 19.31 years), the prevalence of onychomycosis was 51.30%. There was no statistically significant difference between the prevalence of onychomycosis in PsoGroup 49.08% (349/711) compared to 51.30% (4397/8570) of non-PsoGroup (P = 0.2578). However, yeasts were significantly more prevalent in non-psoriatic than in psoriatic patients (P = 0.0144.). In our Mycological Laboratory, we observed a similar prevalence of onychomycosis in psoriatic patients and non-psoriatic patients. However, the spectrum of fungal species isolated was different from each other, with a higher prevalence of yeasts in non-PsoGroup that reflect a recent oriental trends.

Distal and lateral subungual onychomycosis of the finger nail in a neonate: a rare case.

BACKGROUND: Onychomycosis is extremely rare in neonates, infrequently reported in children and is considered to be exclusively a disease of adults. CASE PRESENTATION: We, herein report a case of fingernail onychomycosis in a 28-day-old, healthy, male neonate. The child presented with a history of yellowish discoloration of the fingernail of the left hand for one week. The etiological agent was demonstrated both by microscopic examination and culture of nail clippings. The isolate grown on culture was identified as Candida albicans by phenotypic characteristics and by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry. Antifungal sensitivity testing was performed by broth dilution method as per the Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. An oral swab culture of the child also yielded C. albicans with the same antibiogram as the nail isolate. The case was diagnosed as distal and lateral subungual candida onychomycosis of severity index score 22 (severe) and was treated with syrup fluconazole 6 mg/kg body weight/week and 5% amorolfine nail lacquer once/week for three months. After three months of therapy, the patient completely recovered with the development of a healthy nail plate. CONCLUSIONS: The case is presented due to its rarity in neonates which, we suppose is the first case report of onychomycosis from Nepal in a 28-day-old neonate. Oral colonization with pathogenic yeasts and finger suckling could be risk factors for neonatal onychomycosis.

Mycobacterium marinum lymphocutaneous infection.

Mycobacterium marinum is a nontuberculous mycobacteria with worldwide distribution that lives in fresh or salt water and is responsible for infections in fish, and sometimes in humans. Human disease consists mainly of cutaneous nodules, but deep structure involvement may also occur. Diagnosis of M. marinum infection remains a challenge, with a considerable time delay between onset of symptoms and diagnosis. We present a 33-year-old man with no immunosuppressive history who was seen in our department with skin nodules over his hand and forearm, distributed in a sporotrichoid pattern. His hobbies included maintaining an aquarium of tropical fish. Histological examination of the patient's skin biopsy was compatible with the diagnosis of mycobacterial infection, and the Ziehl-Neelsen staining revealed acid-fast bacilli. Molecular techniques confirmed the suspicion of M. marinum infection. A necropsy was performed on one of the patient's fish, more specifically, a Poecilia reticulata, and resulted in identification of M. marinum from its gut. The patient was treated with clarithromycin, ethambutol, and rifampicin for 9 months, with clearance of infection.

Meta-analysis of the utility of culture, biopsy, and direct KOH examination for the diagnosis of onychomycosis.

BACKGROUND: Onychomycosis is a highly prevalent disease worldwide. There is no standard test for its diagnosis, which remains costly, wasteful, and is sometimes delayed. The diagnostic tests for this disease are few and discordant. The objective was to evaluate the diagnostic validity, performance, and accuracy of culture, nail clipping with Periodic Acid-Schiff -PAS- staining (biopsy), and direct potassium hydroxide (KOH) examination for the study of onychomycosis. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted via meta-analysis using 5 databases and 21 search strategies. An ex ante protocol was applied with inclusion and exclusion criteria. Quality was assessed with the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS) tool, and the sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, likelihood ratios, diagnostic odds ratios, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and proportion of correctly diagnosed patients were evaluated with the meta-analysis of studies of evaluations of diagnostic and screening tests (Meta-DiSc) and Epidat using a random effects model. RESULTS: The efficiency or accuracy of the three tests is influenced by the methodological quality of the studies. These values are lower for KOH and culture and higher for biopsy in moderate quality studies. CONCLUSION: The diagnostic tests evaluated in this meta-analysis independently showed acceptable validity, performance, and efficiency, with nail clipping with PAS staining outperforming the other two tests.

Onychomycosis secondary to onychomadesis: an underdiagnosed manifestation.

Onychomycosis is a rare nail disorder in early childhood, while onychomadesis is a periodic idiopathic, non-inflammatory disease that affects the nail matrix and is common in children especially in those who suffer from viral infections. In this study, we investigated recent cases of onychomycosis subsequent to periods of onychomadesis in children. Sixteen young children (six males, 10 females) with a mean age of 36.5 months were diagnosed with onychomadesis, and 13 of the patients had a history of viral infection prior to nail changes. Direct microscopy of nail scaling was positive in 11 cases (68.8%), and culture was positive in the same number of cases. Four Candida species were isolated: Candida glabrata was the most frequent, found in eight cases (72.7%), while C. albicans, C. parapsilosis and C. tropicalis, each were encountered in a single case. All children were treated successfully with or without topical bifonazole therapy.

Non-dermatophytic onychomycosis diagnostic criteria: an unresolved question.

Non-dermatophytic moulds (NDMs) have been increasingly recognised as causative agents of onychomycosis. The diagnosis of onychomycosis is most often obtained by microscopic observation of nail specimens where fungal elements can be detected and cultured by standard mycological techniques. Direct microscopic examination does not always result positive in NDM onychomycosis; therefore to perform a correct diagnosis, a proper mycological culture is often required. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the role of direct microscopic examination in the NDM onychomycosis diagnosis. The results show that only 57.2% of the specimens from onychomycosis patients could be properly diagnosed showing positivity to both direct microscopic examination and NDMs culture isolation in two or more subsequent inoculations, while 42.8% of analysed specimens with a negative direct microscopic examination, showed NDMs growth after three or more subsequent inoculations. The large proportion of false negatives (more than 42%) could be related to the duration of the infection and/or to the experience and skills of the personnel dedicated to specimen collection. We point out the need for thoroughly evaluating all specimens showing cultural growth in at least three subsequent medium inoculations, whatever the result of the microscopic examination, in order to reduce false-negative rates. This strategy would allow for more accurate diagnosis of this mycosis.

The prevalence of Candida onychomycosis in Southeastern Serbia from 2011 to 2015.

Despite the increasing of onychomycosis caused by Candida spp., in referent literature, there is still data insufficiency about this nail infection. The objectives of this retrospective study were to determine epidemiological characteristics of Candida onychomycosis, the antifungal susceptibility of isolated species in vitro, and to compare the results of antifungal susceptibility testing with conducted treatment in period from 2011 to the end of March 2015. Out of 761 patients who were underwent clinical and mycological examinations, 137 had Candida species isolated from nails. The dominant species was Candida albicans (C. albicans) (36.59%) followed by C. parapsilosis (23.78%), C. krusei (9.76%), and C. guilliermondii (6.71%). Antifungal susceptibility in vitro testing showed good susceptibility to antimycotics, except C. krusei, which was resistance to fluconazole (FCZ) and isolates of C. tropicalis and C. glabrata which were dose dependent to itraconazole (ITZ) and fluconazole. Evaluation of medical histories determined that combined therapy, which included pulsed systemic regimen of ITZ with topical application of clotrimazole, had better clinical outcomes regarding the proscribed only topical application of clotrimazole. Multidisciplinary approach of dermatologists and mycologists is required in solving the problem of onychomycosis, which is the dominant nail disease.

The First Case of Total Dystrophic Onychomycosis Caused by Aspergillus clavatus Resistant to Antifungal Drugs.

Onychomycosis is a common fungal infection of nails which is mainly caused by dermatophyte species and less often by yeasts and non-dermatophyte molds. We present a case of onychomycosis due to Aspergillus clavatus for the first time worldwide. The patient was an immunocompetent 32-year-old woman who identified with Psoriasis of the nail. The presence of A. clavatus in a nail sample was confirmed using microscopic and culture analysis followed by PCR of the ß-tubulin gene. After antifungal susceptibility test, it is revealed that the isolate was resistant to the majority of common antifungal drugs, but finally the patient was treated with itraconazole 200 mg daily. A. clavatus and drug-resistant A. clavatus have not previously been reported from onychomycosis.