Human onychomycosis caused by Trichophyton equinum transmitted from a racehorse.

We report fingernail onychomycosis caused by Trichophyton equinum in a farmer who breeds racehorses. In addition to the thumbnail, T. equinum had infected one of the racehorses. Oral terbinafine cured the infection in the farmer.

Malassezia furfur colonization of neonates in an intensive care unit.

We studied Malassezia furfur colonization of neonates in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and found that the rate was astonishingly high as compared to the previous studies. In very low birth weight (less than 1,000 g) infants we recorded a colonization rate of 80%, and 4% infants with a birth weight greater than 2,000 g. Under 10 day's hospitalization the rate was 11%, and it was 70% after 20 days spent in the unit. Among the infants with the birth weight less than 1,700 g, antibiotic therapy was recorded as a significant risk factor for colonization. In the infants with a greater birth weight, the colonization rate was independent from the risk factors studied. M. furfur colonization could not be linked with occurrence of any symptoms of signs recorded and colonization by M. furfur was so common in NICU that the predictive value of surveillance cultures is poor.

Candida sonckii sp. nov.

A new yeast species with basidiomycetous affinities is described as Candida sonckii Hopsu-Havu et al. It differs from C. fujisanensis and C. maris by growing with KNO3 as nitrogen source, from C. vanderwaltii by its lower mol% G + C, lower maximum temperature for growth and failure to grow on D-arabinose and citrate.