Tinea capitis-like infection caused by Rhodotorula mucilaginosa in a shelter for African Refugee Children in Northern Israel.

Rhodotorula is a genus of unicellular pigmented yeasts, part of the division Basidiomycota. In this article, we report three cases of refugee children in a day care shelter in northern Israel who were clinically diagnosed and treated empirically as with ringworm infection but with clean and exclusive growth of Rhodotorula mucilaginosa in repeated cultures of several skin samples. Skin infections caused by this yeast are rare and there are few reports in the literature, mainly in patients who are immunocompromised. Here we report an infectious process of the scalp in immunocompetent children, caused by Rhodotorula mucilaginosa mimicking tinea capitis.

Cutaneous histoplasmosis with prominent parasitization of epidermal keratinocytes: report of a case.

Disseminated histoplasmosis most commonly occurs in immunosuppressed individuals and involves the skin in approximately 6% of patients. Cutaneous histoplasmosis with an intraepithelial-predominant distribution has not been described. A 47-year-old man was admitted to our institution with fever and vancomycin-resistant enterococcal bacteremia. He had been diagnosed with T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia 4 years earlier and had undergone matched-unrelated-donor stem cell transplant 2 years earlier; on admission, he had relapsed disease. His medical history was significant for disseminated histoplasmosis 6 months before admission, controlled with multiple antifungal regimens. During this final hospitalization, the patient developed multiple 2-5 mm erythematous papules, a hemorrhagic crust across the chest, shoulders, forearms, dorsal aspect of the fingers, abdomen and thighs. Skin biopsy revealed clusters of oval yeast forms mostly confined to the cytoplasm of keratinocytes and within the stratum corneum; scattered organisms were present in the underlying superficial dermis without any significant associated inflammatory infiltrate. Special stains and immunohistochemical studies confirmed these to be Histoplasma organisms. We highlight this previously unrecognized pattern of cutaneous histoplasmosis to ensure its prompt recognition and appropriate antifungal therapy.

Species identification of dermatophytes in paraffin-embedded biopsies with a new polymerase chain reaction assay targeting the internal transcribed spacer 2 region and comparison with histopathological features.

BACKGROUND: Dermatophytosis is a very common skin infection with a broad clinical spectrum. Biopsies are often used to confirm the diagnosis, especially when the clinical presentation is unusual. Not uncommonly, organisms are hard to find even with periodic acid-Schiff stains. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for dermatophytes can be used in such cases. OBJECTIVES: To test a new PCR assay allowing species identification of dermatophytes on paraffin-embedded biopsies, and to reassess histopathological criteria for diagnosis of dermatophytosis. METHODS: In total, 121 biopsies of 92 patients with clinical suspicion of tinea were included. In 42 samples the clinical diagnosis had been confirmed histopathologically, and in 79 no fungal elements had been identified. PCRs targeting the internal transcribed spacer (ITS)2 region of dermatophytes were performed on the biopsies with subsequent sequencing. Sections were reassessed for the presence/absence of hyphae/spores, pattern and composition of infiltrate, and epidermal/follicular changes. Patient charts were reviewed for clinical data. RESULTS: The new ITS2 PCR assay detected 94% of the dermatophyte infections (compared with 79% identified by microscopy). Trichophyton rubrum was the dominant species (89%), and other species identified were Trichophyton verrucosum (2%), Microsporum canis (4%), Epidermophyton floccosum (2%) and Trichophyton interdigitale (4%). In particular, infections with T. interdigitale and manifestations with prominent spongiosis were not diagnosed histologically. Intracorneal neutrophils, which have been emphasized as a histopathological clue to dermatophytosis, were present in only 46% of PCR-positive samples. CONCLUSIONS: Molecular species identification of dermatophytes via ITS2 PCR can easily be implemented in a routine dermatopathology setting. It is fast and highly specific and improves the sensitivity of histopathological diagnosis of dermatophytosis.

Clinical specificities of Tinea capitis in Georgia population.

The aim of the study was to reveal peculiarities of the clinical symptoms and forms of Tinea capitis caused by etiological agents that are common in our country. The study was conducted on 176 ambulatory patients who approached the National Centre in 2009-2013. Inclusion criterion was simultaneous presence of clinical symptoms and positive result of microscopic study. For cultural examination was used Sabouraud's dextrose agar with the antibiotic chloramphenicol. Clinical manifestations were divided into inflammatory and non-inflammatory (i.e. slightly manifested inflammatory signs) lesions. 85(48,3%) inflammatory and 91(51,7%) non-inflammatory cases of Tinea capitis were revealed. Clinical forms were distributed in following way: kerion 73 (41,5%), grey patch with single lesions 71 (40,3%), seborrheic dermatitis-like form 14 (8%), agminate folliculites 12 (6,8%) and black-dot dermatophytosis 6 (3,4%). In 41(89,1%) of the cases etiological agent of the kerion was Trichophyton mentagrophytes; in 41(85,4%) of the cases etiological agent for the grey patch with single lesions was Microsporum canis. Important clinical and etiological relationship was revealed between kerion and Trichophyton mentagrophytes, as well as between grey patch with single lesions and Microsporum canis. In case of inflammatory forms (predominantly kerion) caused by Trichophyton verrucosum and Trichophyton mentagrophytes ID reaction was manifested by disseminated follicular papules.

The role of copepods (Cyclops spp.) in eliminating the actinospore stages of fish-parasitic myxozoans.

The actinospore consumption of copepods (Cyclops spp.) was demonstrated by laboratory observations. It was observed that in experimental dishes the number of actinospores floating in the water decreased, or such actinospores were completely eliminated, in the presence of copepods. The ingestion of actinospores by copepods and their further fate were monitored by fluorescent staining and by conventional histological techniques. The actinospores were observed to have got caught on the filters of Cyclops spp. Two and a half hours after the copepods had been placed into water containing actinospores, their digestive tract was found to contain spores that had extruded their filaments from the polar capsules. After copepods having ingested the actinospores of the species Myxobolus pseudodispar had been fed to roaches, no muscle infection developed in the fish host. It is likely that Cyclops spp. can filter out actinospores floating in the water also from natural waters, thus decreasing the chance of development of myxosporean infections.

Dermatophytes isolated from symptomatic dogs and cats in Tuscany, Italy during a 15-year-period.

Between January, 1, 1986 and December, 31, 2000, dermatological specimens from 10.678 animals (7.650 cats and 3.028 dogs) were examined for dermatophytes. All the animals presented clinical signs of ringworm. Two thousand-four hundred fifty-six of the 10.678 (23%) examined animals scored positive for dermatophytes, 566 out of 3.028 canine (18.7%) and 1890 out of 7.650 feline specimens (24.7%). Microsporum canis constituted 83% and 97% of the isolated dermatophytes respectively in dogs and cats, M. gypseum represented 13% and 2.6% and T. mentagrophytes 5.5% and 0.2%. A sexual predisposition for mycotic infections was not observed. The animals with less than 1 year of age were more frequently infected. Canine toy breeds showed a significantly higher (P < 0.001) prevalence of infections by M. canis. Microsporum gypseum was mostly recorded from sporting (hunting) breeds [such as T. mentagrophytes (6.7%)]. Microsporum canis was isolated from long-haired cats with a ratio of 2:1 versus short-haired cats, while M. gypseum and T. mentagrophytes were never recovered from Persian cats. The annual distribution of the infections in dogs showed a significantly higher incidence for M. gypseum in summer versus winter and spring, while the recovery rate of M. canis from cats was very significantly higher in fall and winter than in summer and spring. Trichophyton mentagrophytes did not show a similar seasonal distribution.

Kérion Celsi: relato de caso e revisäo da literatura / Kerion Celsi: clinical experience of one case and literature review

É relatado um caso de Kérion Celsi, em criança de 3 anos, feminina, apresentando extensa área de alopécia no vértex e intenso processo inflamatório.

[Description of a severe and rare case of tinea barbae in the mental region]. / Descrizione di un grave e raro caso di tinea barbae della regione mentoniera.

The authors report a case of tinea barbae which initially presented clinical and microscopic symptoms that led to the suspected diagnosis of a rapidly developing malignant tumour. A more detailed diagnosis and multi-specialist collaboration enabled the pathology to be correctly diagnosed and treated.

Microsporum gypseum infection in Aids patient: a case report

Relato de caso de tinea corporis por Microsporum gypseum em paciente com Aids de 36 anos. Segundo a literatura, este dermatófito näo é um agente comum neste grupo de pacientes. As lesöes eram psoriasiformes, generalizadas e näo responderam ao tratamento com cetoconazol e itraconazol

Experiencia micológica en la huasteca potosina / Micology experience in the Huasteca in San Luis Potosi state

Se realizó un estudio en una pequeña región de la zona Huasteca del Estado de San Luis Potosí, en donde los factores climatológicos y socioeconómicos favorecen el desarrollo de ciertas enfermedades de la piel. Se estudiaron un total de 62 pacientes con dermatosis, 19 (30.6 por ciento) tuvieron enfermedades micóticas de las cuales las dermatofitosis se presentaron con mayor frecuencia (75 por ciento), y en menor proporción cromomicosis, micetoma y pitiriasis versicolor

Micoflora queratinofilica en suelos de la ciudad de Corrientes (Rep. Arg.) / Keratinophylic mycoflora in soil of Corrientes city (Argentine)

Se analizaron mediante la técnica del anzuelo, 116 muestras de suelos de la ciudad de Corrientes (Argentina) tomados en invierno y een verano, para aislar hongos queratinofílicos. El; estudio macromorfológico de los hongos recuperados se realizó a los 15, 30 y 45 días por medio de lupa binocular de aumentos, sembrándolos luego en medios de Sabouraud-dextrosa, Sabouraud-dextrosa-rifamicina, Mycobiotic y medio de agar papa. Se realizó también el análisis físico-químico de los suelos, determinándose pH, contenido de fósforo asimilable, nitratos, textura y materia orgánica. Los cultivos mostraros la presencia de hongos queratófilos en el 100 por ciento de las muestras, comrrespondiendo a loos géneros Trichophyton, Penicillium, Microsporum, Crysosporium, Ctenomyces y Deschlera. En algunos casos hubo aislamientos únicos pero en la mayoría fueron asociaciones de 2, 3 y hasta 4 géneros. Sin embargo Microsporum sólo apareció en el 19,8 por de las muestras. Los suelos fueron mayoritariamente alcalinos, todos arenosos y con buen contenidos de fósforo asimelable. Los resultados obtenidos revelan la existencia de condiciones particularmente favorables para el desarrollo de hongos queratófilos en los suelos de la ciudad de Corrientes (AU)

Micoflora queratinofilica en suelos de la ciudad de Corrientes (Rep. Arg.) / Keratinophylic mycoflora in soil of Corrientes city (Argentine)

Se analizaron mediante la técnica del anzuelo, 116 muestras de suelos de la ciudad de Corrientes (Argentina) tomados en invierno y een verano, para aislar hongos queratinofílicos. El; estudio macromorfológico de los hongos recuperados se realizó a los 15, 30 y 45 días por medio de lupa binocular de aumentos, sembrándolos luego en medios de Sabouraud-dextrosa, Sabouraud-dextrosa-rifamicina, Mycobiotic y medio de agar papa. Se realizó también el análisis físico-químico de los suelos, determinándose pH, contenido de fósforo asimilable, nitratos, textura y materia orgánica. Los cultivos mostraros la presencia de hongos queratófilos en el 100 por ciento de las muestras, comrrespondiendo a loos géneros Trichophyton, Penicillium, Microsporum, Crysosporium, Ctenomyces y Deschlera. En algunos casos hubo aislamientos únicos pero en la mayoría fueron asociaciones de 2, 3 y hasta 4 géneros. Sin embargo Microsporum sólo apareció en el 19,8 por de las muestras. Los suelos fueron mayoritariamente alcalinos, todos arenosos y con buen contenidos de fósforo asimelable. Los resultados obtenidos revelan la existencia de condiciones particularmente favorables para el desarrollo de hongos queratófilos en los suelos de la ciudad de Corrientes

Dermatofitides: estado atual dos conhecimentos / Dermatophytids: current status

Os autores apresentam um estudo retrospectivo de 58 pacientes com tinea pedis e dermatofítide de mäos. Neste grupo de pacientes, o fungo mais vezes isolado, dos pés, foi Trichophyton mentagrophytes (50 casos, 88,2%). A propósito do tema, fazem uma revisäo atualizada da bibliografia médica. Discute-se, em particular, o valor da intradermorreaçäo com tricofitina, como um dos critérios adotados para firmar o diagnóstico de mícide. É dada ênfase a necessidade de se obter antígeno purificado, para se poder valorizar a prática do teste