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Superficial Mycotic Infections of the Foot in a Native Pediatric Population: A Pathogenic Role for Trichosporon cutaneum ?
Author(s) -
ArcherDubon Carla,
OrozcoTopete Rocío,
LeyvaSantiago Jaime,
Arenas Roberto,
Carbajosa Josefina,
Ysunza Alberto
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
pediatric dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.542
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1525-1470
pISSN - 0736-8046
DOI - 10.1046/j.1525-1470.2003.20403.x
Subject(s) - trichophyton rubrum , foot (prosody) , medicine , trichophyton , trichosporon , dermatology , candida glabrata , population , antifungal , biology , linguistics , philosophy , genetics , environmental health , yeast
Superficial mycotic infections of the feet are usually caused by Tricophyton rubrum , predominantly affecting adults and resulting from the use of occlusive footwear. We carried out a mycologic study of superficial foot infections in a rural school in Mexico where most people wear a leather, nonocclusive sandal. Forty students had clinical signs of 50 fungal infections of the foot: 39 athlete's foot and 11 onychomycosis. Thirty‐one boys and 9 girls were studied. Hyphae were seen in 11 cases of athlete's foot and 5 of onychomycosis. Twenty‐one cultures were positive (42%). The most frequently isolated fungi were the opportunistic Trichosporon cutaneum in 42.8%, Candida sp. (23.8%), Trichophyton mentagrophytes (23.8%), and Candida glabrata (9.5%). Superficial mycotic infections of the feet and nails were most frequent in children and adolescents who usually wear nonocclusive shoes. The most frequent pathogens were Candida sp. and T. mentagrophytes . It is interesting to note the prevalence of T. cutaneum that has recently been implicated in mycoses of the feet and nails. We did not isolate T. rubrum in any patient.