Dermatophytes

Dermatophytes Latest News

For a long time, fungal infections have meant itchy skin, discoloured nails and sometimes hair loss, a group of symptoms collectively called dermatophytosis, and are caused by a group of fungi called dermatophytes.

About Dermatophytes

• They are a group of fungi that live off keratin, a substance in your hair, nails and the outer layer of your skin. 
• They don’t infect living tissue. 
• They can cause skin lesions in humans and animals. 
• Infections caused by dermatophytes are called dermatophytosis. 
• The fungi use keratin as a carbon source and colonise keratinised tissue, such as hair, skin or nails.
• Major genera of dermatophytes include Trichophyton, Microsporum and Epidermophyton. 
• Dermatophytes are highly contagious. 
  • Some dermatophytes are spread directly from one person to another (anthropophilic organisms). 
  • Others live in and are transmitted to humans from soil (geophilic organisms), and still others spread to humans from animal hosts (zoophilic organisms). 
  • Transmission of dermatophytes also can occur indirectly from fomites (e.g., upholstery, hairbrushes, hats). 
  • Anthropophilic organisms are responsible for most fungal skin infections.
• Why do dermatophytes cause so many different types of disease? 
  • All dermatophytes infect host surfaces containing keratin, including skin, hair, and nails. 
  • As such, the same infecting organism could cause disease in the foot, fingernail, body, or head. 
  • Both climate and lifestyle contribute to the prevalence of dermatophyte infections. 
  • Tropical climates and overcrowding predispose populations to dermatophyte infections. 
  • Increased urbanization, including the use of occlusive footwear, community showers, and participation in sports, has been linked to higher prevalence of Tinea pedis and onychomycosis (nail infections). 
  • It is very rare for a dermatophyte to cause an invasive or disseminated infection, although cases in immunocompromised patients have been reported. 
  • Disease severity correlates with the ecological niche of the infecting dermatophyte.

News: TH

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