A Mycological Study on Dermatophytoses in Seoul During the Peroid 1985 - 1991

Yu, Hee Joon; Choi, Yeon Sang; Baik, Young Gon; Son, Sook Ja

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Dermatophytoses show marked differences in their incidences, distributions, and causative organisms by age, sex, occupations, environmental conditions and geographic distributions.
OBJECTIVE
We evaluated the recent distributions of dermatophytes and compared them with the previous reports in Seoul.
METHODS
We evaluated the incidences of dermatophytes according to the patient's age and sex, isolated month, and the infection sites with 387 strains of dermatophytes isolated from the various forms of dermatophytoses during the period from August 1985 to July 1991 in Seoul.
RESULTS
T. rubrum was the most prevalent dermatophyte in all age groups except the first decade. The incidence of M. canis was high in age groups below 20 years old relatively high incidences of T. mentagrophytes and T. interdigitale in age groups over 30 years old. Dermatophytes were frequently isolated in summer season, but the incidence of M. canis was relatively high in October and December. T. rubrum was the most prevalent dermatophyte from all forms of dermatophytoses except tinea capitis, but the incidence of T. rubrum was relatively low in tinea corporis. The incidence of T. mentagrophytes was relatively high in tinea unguium and tinea manus, and M. canis was isolated only in tinea corporis and tinea capitis. From the cases showing more than two forms of dermatophytoses. T. rubrum was isolated for the most part.
CONCLUSION
This study suggested that there was a rise in the cases of t. rubrum infections in Seoul and in recent years the prevalence of M. canis infections has markedly increased but those of E. floccosum and t. mentagrophytes have decreased.