A healthy 2-year-old girl was referred for toenail thickening and yellow discoloration; she was otherwise asymptomatic. The patient had no history of diabetes, infection, or trauma to her toenails. Physical examination revealed both great toenails to have marked thickening of the nail plate with closely spaced transverse superficial ridging, lack of luster, and dark tanyellowish discoloration (...

A Review of the Diagnosis and Management of Fungal Skin and Nail Infections D’Arcy Little, MD, CCFP, Lecturer and Academic Fellow, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto,Toronto, ON. SKIN DISORDERS Fungal Skin Infections Normally, the dryness and regular shedding of the skin’s keratin layer prevents microbial colonization.3 However, skin trauma, irritation or macerat...

Fungal infections of hair, nail and skin are common worldwide and continue to increase. The present study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of dermatophytosis, isolation rates and the profile of fungi associated with dermatophytosis. Samples were collected from 305 patients and a portion of each sample was examined microscopically and the remaining portion was cultured on to plates of ...

Accepted: February 15, 2010 SUMMARY Scopulariopsis (S.) brevicaulis (Saccardo) Bainier 1907 is a ubiquitous fungus frequently isolated as a saprophyte from various layers of the soil, wood, straw, paper, food, and occasionally in animals and humans. This nondermatophyte filamentous fungus is multiresistant and is frequently associated with onychomycosis in humans. In the last two decades, the n...

We compared the activities of antifungal agents against a wide range of yeasts and filamentous fungi. The methodology of the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) for yeasts and spore-forming molds was applied; and a total of 349 clinical isolates of Candida spp., other yeast species, Aspergillus spp., and nondermatophyte non-Aspergillus spp. were investigated. The...

Dermatophytoses Because dermatophytes require keratin for growth, they are restricted to hair, nails, and superficial skin. Thus, these fungi do not infect mucosal surfaces. Dermatophytoses are referred to as “tinea” infections. They are also named for the body site involved. Some dermatophytes are spread directly from one person to another (anthropophilic organisms). Others live in and are tra...

In 2005, the estimated number of Americans with diabetes was 20.8 million people, with an additional 1.5 million cases diagnosed that year in those ≥ 20 years of age.1 Onychomycosis is a fungal infection of the nail that is estimated to cause up to 50% of all nail problems2 and 30% of all cutaneous fungal infections.3 Approximately one in three people with diabetes are afflicted with onychomyco...