Use of Propolis for Topical Treatment of Dermatophytosis in Dog

Here we present three clinical cases of canine dermatophytosis resolved with topical propolis treatment that involved alopecia and well-demarcated erythematous lesions. These cases were positively identified by direct observation of samples from the affected zones with 10% KOH. Each sample was cultured, leading to the isolation of Microsporum gypseum in one case and Microsporum canis in the other two cases. The animals’ subsequent treatment included bathing using a commercial soap with propolis every seven days for 3 to 8 weeks, as well as the use of a propolis-containing ointment elaborated in our laboratory, which was applied to the lesions once a day for three weeks. From the second week of treatment, all cultures were negative. At the end of treatment, all cases displayed full recovery of the injuries and hair growth in these areas. In these clin-ical cases, treatment with propolis was effective, supporting the use of propolis as a promising natural alternative with no known collateral effects.

Dermatophytosis in special patient populations

Objective:To study the occurrence and prevalence of dermatomycosis in special patient populations suffering from diabetes,cancer and heart diseases.Methods:A total of 640 patients suffering from diabetes,280 patients suffering from cancer and 210 patients suffering from heart diseases from Cairo City were evaluated for dermatophytosis at the dermatology clinics of four different hospitals from January 2005 to December 2006.Results:The presence of diabetes looks a risk factor for tinea pedis and tinea corporis.Tinea cruris and tinea unguium were not common among diabetics,while tinea capitis and tinea versicolor were completely missed.Tinea capitis followed by tinea pedis are the most common among cancer patients.Thirty cases were recorded for tinea among 210 patients with heart diseases of which tinea capitis and tinea versicolor were recorded once while the other clinical types of tinea were estimated in 6-8 patients for each type.Conclusions:The present investigation shows that diabetes remains to be a risk factor for dermatophytosis and cancer comes next due to the use of radioactive irradiation.

Antifungal activity of Aegle marmelos(L.) Correa(Rutaceae) leaf extract on dermatophytes

Objective:To evaluate the in vitro antifungal activity of Aegle marmelos leaf extracts and fractions on the clinical isolates of dermatophytic fungi like Trichophyton mentagrophytes,Trichophyton rubrum,Microsporum canis,Microsporum gypseum and Epidermophyton floccosum.Methods:The minimum inhibitory concentration(MIC) and minimum fungicidal concentration(MFC) of various extracts and fractions of the leaves of Aegle marmelos were measured using method of National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards(NCCLS).Results:Aegle marmelos leaf extracts and fractions were found to have fungicidal activity against various clinical isolates of dermatophytic fungi.The MIC and MFC was found to be high in water and ethyl alcohol extracts and methanol fractions(200μg/mL) against dermatophytic fungi studied.Conclusions:Aegle marmelos leaf extracts significantly inhibites the growth of all dermatophytic fungi studied.If this activity is confirmed by in vivo studies and if the compound is isolated and identified,it could be a remedy for dermatophytosis.

Antifungal activity of Ocimum sanctum Linn.(Lamiaceae) on clinically isolated dermatophytic fungi

Objective:To assess antifungal activity of Ocimum sanctum leaves against dermatophytic fungi. Methods:Antifungal activity of Ocimum sanctum leaves was measured by 38 A NCCLS method. Minimum inhibitory concentration(MIC) and minimum fungicidal concentration(MFC) of various extracts and fractions of Ocimum sanctum leaves were also determined.Results:Ocimum sanctum leaves possessed antifungal activity against clinically isolated dermatophytes at the concentration of 200μg/mL.MIC and MFC were high with water fraction(200μg/mL) against dermatophytic fungi used.Conclusions:Ocimum sanctum has antifungal activity,and the leaf extracts may be a useful source for dermatophytic infections.

Dermatophytes Species Isolated of HIV-Infected Patients Identified by ITS-RFLP and ITS Region Sequencing from Triangulo Mineiro, Minas Gerais State of Brazil

Dermatomycoses are a group of diseases worldwide distributed and affect skin, hair and nails. Several fungal species can be envolved and keratinophilic fungi belonging to the genera Trichophyton, Microsporum and Epidermophyton are very common. These infections are globally distributed and their incidence has progressively increased. Despite their high incidence, few studies have been carried out in HIV-infected patients, regarding frequency, clinical presentations, and species identification. This study aimed to evaluate some epidemiological and clinical aspects of dermatophytosis in HIV-infected patients and to attempt phenotypical and molecular characteristics of their agents. Of 398 patients included, 306 were HIV-infected. Clinical data and samples of skin, hair and nail lesions were simultaneously obtained. The dermatophytes yielded in culture were phenotypically identified and evaluated by ITS-RFLP and ITS (Internal Transcribed Space) sequencing. Dermatophytes frequency in HIV-infected patients with cutaneous lesions was 11.76% similar to the 15.22% observed in non-HIV individuals. Trichophyton rubrum was the most common isolated species in both groups. Throught ITS-RFLP, 29/32 (90.63%) of dermatophytes isolates were identified at the species level. From the 10 isolates randomly selected for ITS sequencing, seven confirmed the ITS-RFLP results while three Trichophyton sp. were not identified as dermatophytes. The identification of these species in HIV-infected patients is highly desirable in order to improve the knowledge of their frequency, geographical distribution and relation to clinical presentation.

Tinea Capitis in Adults

Objective: To determine the epidemiology and the aetiology of tinea capitis in the elderly in Turin (Italy). Methods: We prospectively collected all cases of adult tinea capitis in the Dermatology Clinic of the University of Turin from January 1997 to December 2012. Results: 13 patients (4 males and 9 females) with a mean age of 56.5 years were found to be affected by tinea capitis among a total number of 508 (2.6%). Diagnosis was made on clinical appearance and mycological examination. Culture identified M. canis in 7 patients (53.8%), T. mentagrophytes in 3 patients (23.1%), T. rubrum in 2 patients (15.4%) and T. violaceum in 1 patient (7.7%). 6 cases reported contact with animals. Treatment consisted in administration of Griseofulvin at the dose of 500 mg/d or Terbinafine at the dose of 250 mg/d for at least 8 weeks. A complete recovery was observed in 10 patients, whereas 3 of them suffered from cicatritial alopecia. Conclusion: This study wants to highlight the importance of considering tinea capitis as a differential diagnosis in elderly patients with scaly scalp lesions, even though it is considered to be rare in adults.

Antifungal Susceptibility Testing of Dermatophytes by ABDD and E-Test, a Comparative Study

Aim: The objective of this study was to isolate, identify, and explore the in-vitro antifungal susceptibility pattern of dermatophytes isolated from clinically suspected cases of dermatophytosis (tinea infections) attending the Dermatology Department at J.S.S Hospital. Methods: This study was conducted at JSS Medical College and Hospital from December 2016 to December 2017. Clinical samples (e.g., skin scrapings and hair stumps) were collected under aseptic precautions. The identification of dermatophytes was performed through microscopic examination using 10%, 20% & 40% potassium hydroxide (KOH) and culture on Sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA), SDAac, PDA and Dermatophyte test medium (DTM). All dermatophytes isolates were subjected to antifungal susceptibility testing using the agar-based disk diffusion (ABDD) and E-test method against Terbinafine, Itraconazole, Fluconazole, and Griseofulvin. Data were analyzed by using Chi square test. Results: A 100 samples were studied, 46% tinea corporis, 2%tinea cruris, 9% tinea pedis, 5% tinea faciei. The dermatophytes isolated were Trichophyton rubrum 11 (35%), Trichophyton mentagrophyte 8 (25%), Trichophyton tonsurans 5 (16%), Microsporum gypseum 3 (10%), Trichophyton verrucosum 2 (6%), Trichophyton violaceum 1 (3%) and Microsporum audouinii 1 (3%). Out of 31 dermatophytes 17 were sensitive to all four antifungal agents within the range of FLC (2 - 6 mcg/ml), ITR (0.125 - 2), TER (0.125 - 2), and GRI (0.125 - 2), 5 isolates were resistant in which 2 were resistant to FLC (64.256 mcg/ml), 2 isolates were resistant to TER 2 (32.38 mcg/ml), 1 isolate was resistant to both GRI and TER (16.32 mcg/ml) and 9 isolates were within the intermediate range. Conclusion: Every patient with a tinea infection should be properly studied for a mycological examination and should be treated accordingly. Dermatophyte test medium is more useful as an identification medium in the isolation of dermatophytes. The ABDD method appears to be a simple, cost-effective, and promising method for the evaluation of antifungal susceptibility of dermatophytes. E-test method is the most sensitive method due to the fact that quantitative MICs can be obtained directly from the E-strip. However, the E-test method is expensive and difficult in defining the precise borders of the inhibition zones in dermatophytes.

Synergistic Effects of Tetrandrine on the Antifungal Activity of Topical Ketoconazole Cream in the Treatment of Dermatophytoses:A Clinical Trial

Objective：To evaluate the synergistic effects of tetrandrine（TET）on the antifungal activity of topical ketoconazole（KCZ）in the treatment of dermatophytoses.Methods：The minimum inhibitory concentrations（MICs）for KCZ and combined KCZ and TET were compared in vitro.A randomized,double-blind trial was conducted among 97 patients with dermatophytoses who were assigned to 3 groups and received： treatment with combination of 2%KZC and 2%TET cream（KCZ＋TET group）,or only 2%KZC cream（KCZ group）,or 2%TET cream（TET group）.Patients with tinea corporis and/or tinea cruris were treated for 2 weeks, separately.The patients with tinea pedis and/or tinea manuum were treated for 4 weeks.Results：Compared with KZC alone,combined use of KZC and TET showed lower MICs against clinical isolates of dermatophytes （P0.05 for all）.In the patients with tinea corporis and/or tinea cruris,the rates of overall cure（clinical cure plus mycologic clearance）were 81.25%vs.33.33%for combined treatment and KZC monotherapy,respectively, after 4 weeks.All clinical indices were significantly different between the combination therapy and only KCZ therapy groups（P0.05）.Among the patients with tinea pedis and/or tinea manuum after 4 weeks treatment,the overall cure rates in the KCZ ＋ TET group and KCZ group were 75.00%vs.40.00%,respectively.In the KCZ ＋ TET group,all the clinical indices were significantly better than those in the KCZ group and TET group（P0.05）. The rates of overall efficacy in the TET group were all zero.No local skin redness or itching was observed during TET treatment.No clinically significant changes were found in post-treatment routine blood,urine,or stool tests, ECG,or tests for liver and kidney function;no serious adverse events occurred.Conclusion：TET synergistically enhanced the clinical efficacy of topical KZC cream in the treatment of dermatophytoses.

Evaluation of cats(Felis catus)as possible asymptomatic carriers of dermatophytes in extreme south of Brazil

Objective:To investigate the presence of Microsporum canis in pelage of asymptomatic cats for dermatophytosis,in south region of Rio Grande do Sul,Brazil,and evaluate its importance in epidemiology of dermatophytosis in the study area.Methods:A total of 60 domestic cats were evaluated for the presence of Microsporum canis.The animals were divided into three groups of 20 felines.Each group consisted of exclusively domiciled,semi-domiciled and rural animals.Samples were collected following the carpet-square technique.The microorganisms were cultivated under laminar flow in mycosel agar and grown in a greenhouse.Results:All the cats of the three groups analysed had negative cultures for dermatophytes.In 85%of the dishes,there was a growth of environmental saprophytic fungi such as Aspergillus sp.,Fusarium sp.and Penicillium sp.Conclusions:Thus,asymptomatic cats for dermatophytes did not show importance in the transmission and maintenance of the disease in southern of Rio Grande do Sul,Brazil.