Dermatophytes

Abstract

Geophilic dermatophytes (Microsporum gypseum, etc.) are often isolated from soil. For human beings, however, the existence of anthrophophilic and zoophilic dermatophytes in their residence is more important. Dermatophytes are often isolated from normal healthy skin of not only patients but also their family memmbers. Zoophilic dermatophytes (Microsporum canis, etc.) exist in most cases as saprophytes, but anthrophophilic fungi (Tricophyton rubrum, T. mentagrophytes and T. violaceum) present at the stage of subclinical infection, not merely in saprophytic growth. It was proved that patients with Tinea pedis disseminated fungi in the environment, and neither the frequency nor the degree of dissemination differed significantly in relation to species in studies using the foot-press method and the cellophane tape method of slippers on bare feet for 10 minutes. There are several reports in Japan of dermatophytes having been isolated from inside a residence, for example, from mats, slippers, bathtubs, and floors. Recent reports stated that dermatophytes were easily isolated from the housedust of patients' residences. This suggests that housedust should be considered a significiant source of dermatophyte infection. © 1994, The Japanese Society for Medical Mycology. All rights reserved.