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Background: Dermatophytosis is a fungal infection that targets the skin and its appendages, such as the nails and hair. It affects all age groups and is estimated to affect approximately 20-25% of the population across the world. There are insufficient data on the clinic-mycological pattern of dermatophytosis in Odisha, a coastal state in eastern India. The study aims to explore the clinico-mycological pattern of prevailing superficial cutaneous fungal infections and to identify the specific species as per the site of skin involvement. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted in the Department of Dermatology in collaboration with the Department of Microbiology at a tertiary health care centre, Odisha, for a period of 2 years, from October 2020 to September 2022. Participants aged 18-65 years with active dermatophyte infections of the skin were included in the study. Clinical examination and mycological workup were performed, and the collected samples were divided into two parts, one for direct microscopy and the other for fungal culture. Results: According to our study, the most common isolate was Trichophyton mentagrophytes (21.7%), followed by T. rubrum (11.7%), and 5.3% of cultures showed T. schoenleinii isolates, whereas Microsporum canis and Microsporum gypseum constituted 2.7% and 0.7%, respectively. Conclusion: The present study focuses on the prevalence and clinical trends of different dermatophyte species associated with dermatophytosis in eastern India. Due to the favourable climate of Odisha, superficial mycoses are prevalent here, and according to our study, Trichophyton mentagrophytes is the predominate isolate in this region.

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BACKGROUND: Epidermophyton floccosum (E. floccosum), an anthropophilic dermatophyte, is the primary causative agent of skin conditions such as tinea cruris, tinea pedis and tinea corporis. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the prevalence and characteristics of E. floccosum-induced dermatophytosis, with particular emphasis on the types of infections and demographic profiles. METHODS: In this retrospective study, patient records from the dermatology outpatient clinic were scrutinized, covering the timeframe from January 2009 to December 2020. Eligibility for the study required a dermatophytosis diagnosis verified by microscopic examination and fungal culture. RESULTS: Of the 4669 confirmed dermatophytosis cases, 82 (1.8%) were attributable to E. floccosum infection. The proportions of male and female patients with E. floccosum infections were 50.0% each. The most common presentation was tinea pedis (39.0%), followed by tinea cruris (37.8%) and tinea corporis (26.8%). The mean age at disease onset for tinea cruris was 38.7 ± 18.7 years, which was lower than that for tinea pedis (50.6 ± 14.2 years) and tinea corporis (53.5 ± 16.4 years). However, these age differences were not statistically significant. A continuous decrease in E. floccosum isolation was observed over the study period. CONCLUSIONS: There was a steady decline in the prevalence of E. floccosum dermatophytosis over the 12-year study period. Despite the decreasing trend, tinea cruris, tinea corporis and tinea pedis remained the predominant clinical manifestations of E. floccosum infection.

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BACKGROUND: A decreasing trend in tinea cruris caused by Epidermophyton floccosum, an anthropophilic dermatophyte, has been observed. METHODS: This retrospective study involved Thai naval cadets aged 18 years or older with suspected groin lesions. Both clinical evaluations and laboratory investigations were conducted. RESULTS: In total, 86 male participants with a median age of 19 years who presented with groin rash were enrolled in the study. Branching septate hyphae from KOH examination were found in 55 patients (64.0 %). Fungal identifications were Epidermophyton floccosum (42 cases; 76.4 %), Trichophyton mentagrophytes complex (3 cases; 5.5 %), and no growth (10 cases; 18.2 %). An E. floccosum outbreak was identified, with a prevalence of 76.4 %. Most lesions exhibited admixed erythema and hyperpigmentation. Approximately two-thirds displayed prominent, easily visible scaling. Scrotal involvement was absent in 95.2 % of lesions, with 87.2 % presenting bilaterally. A gradual symptom onset lasting up to 2 months was observed in 78.9 % of cases. Lesion morphologies included annular (73.8 %), patchy (14.3 %), and polycyclic (9.5 %). Severe itching disrupting daily activities was reported by only 7.1 % of participants. Approximately two-thirds used over-the-counter (OTC) topical medications without consulting a physician. Risk factors related to clothing included sharing clothes (59.5 %), wearing sweaty clothes (100 %), and reusing unwashed clothes (81.0 %). CONCLUSIONS: The E. floccosum tinea cruris outbreak among naval cadets was characterized by a gradual onset and mild symptoms. OTC medication use without physician consultation was prevalent.

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Epidermophyton floccosum is one of the most common agents of human superficial fungal infections, compared with genus Trichophyton and Microsporum, it possesses uniqueness in ecology traits and rarely causing hair infections. E. floccosum is so far the only representative species of genera Epidermophyton, and it is known as anthropophilic dermatophytes. To further reveal the genome sequences and clues of virulence factors, thus in this study, we sequenced the genome of E. floccosum (CGMCC (F) E1d), and performed comparative genomic analysis with other dermatophytes. It is revealed that E. floccosum owns the largest genome size and similar GC content compared with other dermatophytes. A total of 7565 genes are predicted. By comparing with the closest species N. gypseum, our study reveals that number and structure of adhesion factors, secreted proteases and LysM domain might contribute to the pathogenic and ecological traits of E. floccosum. Mating genes is also detected in genome data. Furthermore, we performed AFLP analysis trying to discuss intraspecific differences of E. floccosum, but no significant relationship is found between genotype and geographical distribution. Upon above, our study provides a deeper understanding and strong foundation for future researches about E. floccosum.

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Purpose. Epidermophyton floccosum is an anthropophilic dermatophyte species, which is one of the common causative agents of dermatophytosis in different parts of the world. The aim of the present investigation was to evaluate the genetic diversity of E. floccosum strains isolated from different parts of Iran and to define the in vitro susceptibility profiles of seven antifungal drugs against these clinical isolates.Methodology. Forty clinical strains of E. floccosum isolated from 40 patients with dermatophytosis were subjected to DNA extraction and PCR amplification of the ITS rDNA region using universal primers ITS1 and ITS4. The in vitro activities of griseofulvin, itraconazole, voriconazole, posaconazole, caspofungin, ketoconazole and terbinafine were determined using a broth microdilution method according to the CLSI-M-38A2 protocol.Results. A mean genetic similarity of 99.5 % was found between E. floccosum strains, with intraspecies differences ranging from 0 to 3 nt. The geometric mean (GM) MICs and minimum effective concentrations (MECs) across all isolates were, in increasing order, as follows: terbinafine (GM=0.018 mg l-1), posaconazole (GM=0.022 mg l-1), itraconazole (GM=0.034 mg l-1) and voriconazole (GM=0.045 mg l-1), which had low MICs against all tested strains, whereas caspofungin (GM=0.22 mg l-1), ketoconazole (GM=0.41 mg l-1) and griseofulvin (GM=0.62 mg l-1) demonstrated higher MICs.Conclusion. Our study showed low intraspecies variation within strains of E. floccosum. Furthermore, terbinafine, posaconazole, itraconazole and voriconazole were shown to be the most potent antifungal drugs against E. floccosum strains.

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The basis for effective treatment of any dermatomycosis is the correct and timely identification of the pathogen, which allows the targeted choice of the most suitable antimycotic and is important for the prevention of repeated infections. In recent years, infections with dermatophytes seem to have increased. In fact, from 2007 to 2018, there was an increase in the number of samples processed in the Mycology Laboratory of the Department of Dermatology at the University Hospital Jena. The most common isolated dermatophytes between 2007 and 2018 were Trichophyton (T.) rubrum, T. interdigitale, Microsporum (M.) canis and T. benhamiae. However, dermatophytoses may also be caused by rare anthropophilic agents such as Epidermophyton floccosum, zoophiles such as T. verrucosum, T. quinckeanum or Nannizzia (N.) persicolor as well as by geophiles such as N. gypsea. Therefore, these dermatophytes should at least be known, so that in case of unusual observations investigations can be performed accordingly. Changes in the pathogen spectrum of dermatophytoses have taken place over time and it is expected that the occurrence of dermatophytes will be subject of continuous fluctuations, which may mean that the incidence of some of these "rare" dermatophytes, as described here in five clinical examples, may be changing.

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This paper demonstrates that surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) coupled with principal component analysis (PCA) can serve as a fast and reliable technique for detection and identification of dermatophyte fungi at both genus and species level. Dermatophyte infections are the most common mycotic diseases worldwide, affecting a quarter of the human population. Currently, there is no optimal method for detection and identification of fungal diseases, as each has certain limitations. Here, for the first time, we have achieved with a high accuracy, differentiation of dermatophytes representing three major genera, i.e. Trichophyton, Microsporum, and Epidermophyton. Two first principal components (PC), namely PC-1 and PC-2, gave together 97% of total variance. Additionally, species-level identification within the Trichophyton genus has been performed. PC-1 and PC-2, which are the most diagnostically significant, explain 98% of the variance in the data obtained from spectra of: Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton menatgrophytes, Trichophyton interdigitale and Trichophyton tonsurans. This study offers a new diagnostic approach for the identification of dermatophytes. Being fast, reliable and cost-effective, it has the potential to be incorporated in the clinical practice to improve diagnostics of medically important fungi.

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Resumen Introducción: Las dermatofitosis son infecciones comunes en humanos, provocadas por hongos de los géneros Trichophyton, Microsporum y Epidermophyton. Objetivo: Determinar la frecuencia de E. floccosum en dermatofitos aislados en un laboratorio de la Región de Valparaíso durante las últimas tres décadas. Conocer las localizaciones más frecuentes, los grupos etarios y sexo de los pacientes afectados por este agente. Materiales y Método: Se revisaron los informes de cultivos superficiales con desarrollo de E. floccosum, Microsporum spp y Trichophyton spp de las tres últimas décadas del laboratorio de Micología de la Universidad de Valparaíso. Se registró en una planilla Excel el resultado del cultivo, edad, sexo y ubicación de la lesión de los pacientes. Resultados: El total de dermatofitosis con agente identificado fue de 6.780. En 26 casos hubo desarrollo de E. floccosum, de éstos, 73% (19/26) fueron en hombres y con una edad promedio de 37 años. La frecuencia disminuyó progresivamente desde la década de los ochenta hasta la del 2000. El grupo etario más afectados fue el de 36-60 años. Las localizaciones más frecuentemente afectadas fueron la planta y uñas de los pies. Conclusiones: Existe una disminución progresiva de la frecuencia de aislamiento de E. floccosum en el período estudiado. El sexo masculino y el grupo etario de 36-60 años fueron los más afectados. Las localizaciones más frecuentes fueron la planta y uñas de los pies.

Background: Dermatophytoses are frequent infections in human, which are produced by fungus genera Trichophyton, Microsporum and Epidermophyton. Aim: To determine frequency of E. floccosum in isolated dermatophyte in a laboratory from Valparaíso during the last three decades, in addition to knowing the most frequent localization, age and gender of patients affected by this agent. Method: All superficial culture reports, issued by the Universidad de Valparaíso's mycology laboratory in the last three decades, with E. floccosum, Microsporum spp and Trichophyton spp development, has been reviewed. Patients age, gender, location of the injury and culture report has been registered in an excel spreadsheet. Results: The total number of reports with dermatophyte development in the culture was 6,780. Only 26 cases show E. floccosum development, 73% of this (19/26) were present on men with and average age of 37 years. Frequency did progressively fall since eighty's until 2000 decade. The age group most affected by this etiological agent was 30-36 years. The most frequently localization in both man and woman were foot plant and nails. Conclusions: Frequency of isolation did decrease progressively in dermatophytose by E. floccosum for the study period. Masculine gender and 36-60 age group were the most affected. The most frequently localization were foot plant and nails.

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Diapers create particular conditions of moisture and friction, and with urine and feces come increased pH and irritating enzymes (lipases and proteases). Fungi can take advantage of all these factors. Candida yeasts, especially C. albicans, are responsible for the most frequent secondary infections and are isolated in more than 80 % of cases. Correct diagnosis is important for ensuring the correct prescription of topical antimycotics. Nystatin, imidazoles and ciclopirox are effective. It is important to realize there are resistant strains. Dermatophytes can infect the diaper area, with the most common agent being Epidermophyton floccosum. The clinical characteristics of dermatophytosis are different from those of candidiasis, and it can be diagnosed and treated simply. Malassezia yeasts can aggravate conditions affecting the diaper area, such as seborrheic dermatitis, atopic dermatitis, and inverse psoriasis. Additional treatment is recommended in this case, because they usually involve complement activation and increased specific IgE levels. Erythrasma is a pseudomycosis that is indistinguishable from candidiasis and may also occur in large skin folds. It is treated with topical antibacterial products and some antimycotics.

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Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the most common pharmacological group that has three primary therapeutic effects including anti-inflammatory, anti-pyrexia, and analgesia. In this study, seven of NSAIDs were tested against two species of skin pathogenic fungi (dermatophytes). Percentage inhibition was determined for effective agents. Diclofenac, Aspirin and Naproxen showed much more ability to inhibit dermatophytes growth. Epidermophyton floccosum revealed susceptibility to more tested agents than those of Trichophyton mentagrophytes. In conclusion, many of NSAIDs may have the ability to inhibit pathogenic fungi. Others may also have potential activity toward fungal growth.

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BACKGROUND: E. floccosum was known to be the frequent dermatophyte of tinea cruris and fourth causative agent of dermatophytosis in Korea. However, its incidence has been decreasing. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate epidemiologic aspects of E. floccosum. METHOD: We performed the epidemiologic study on 900 patients with E. floccosum infections in from January 1976 to December 1997. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The incidence of dermatophytosis was 16.5% out of a total of 614,139 outpatients, and that of E. floccosum was 0.9% out of a total of 101, 314 dermatophytosis. Among the age groups, the incidence rate was high in the first decade (29.4%) and second decade (41.7%). The ratio of male to female patients was 6.6:1. The prevalence of the month was high in the August, September and October. Involved sites were groin (85.8%), foot (6.2%), trunk (3.7%), hand (1.3%), leg (1.0%), toenail (0.8%), face (0.7%) and arm (0.6%) in decreasing order of frequency. We found that the incidence of E. floccosum had been markedly decreasing since 1986.

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Several years after trauma,a patien t suffered from skin verrucous hyperplasia for more than 30years,accompanied by ulcer occasio nally,on the feet,ankles and legs su ccessively.Mycological examinati on(9times)had been done before treatment.Slig ht septate hyphae and /or spores were demonstrated by direct mi-croscopy(5times);and yellowish green colony grew on S abouraud agar at 25℃for 2times,it wa s identified as Epidermophyton floccosum.Yeast -like colony grew on Sabourau d agar at 25℃for 5times,it was identi fied as Candida ciferrii by API.After treatment,Candida ciferrii could still be detected by mycologic al examination(6times),but no Epidermophyton floccosum was found.Slight septate hyphae were demonstrated in stratum spinosum,stratum granulosum and stratum corneum by histopathological examination.Isolated or clustered blastospores,spores and chlamydospores were demonstrated in stratum c orneum by histopathological examin ation.Therefore,it was concluded that the skin verrucous hyperplasia in this c ase is caused by mixed infection of Epidermophyton floccosum and Candida ciferrii.The patient was treated with flucon azole capsule 50mg daily for5weeks,followed by terbinafine tab let 250mg daily for 36weeks,and then250mg twice daily for 18weeks.In the 5th week of terbinafine therapy,a part of the lesions on the shin of left leg healed.No further therapeutic effect was observed.