Abstract
Fungal infections of the skin and nails are the most common and widespread group of all mycoses; they affect more than 20–25% of the world’s population [1]. The incidence of cutaneous mycoses continues to increase, particularly in tropical countries because of the heat and humidity, whereas the prevalence of the causative species of fungi involved has shifted or changed due to migration and changes in socioeconomic status and lifestyle [2]. People with colored skin, especially deeply pigmented or black-skinned populations, show high frequency of superficial mycosis, which may reach up to 41.9% of all dermatoses seen, as has been reported from West Africa [3]; they are frequently registered also in tourists and travelers. The clinical pictures can be subdivided into infections that induce minimal or no inflammatory response, e.g., pityriasis versicolor, tinea nigra, or piedra, and those that induce cutaneous inflammation such as cutaneous candidosis and tinea.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Havlickova B, Cziaka C, Friedrich M. Epidemiological trends in skin mycoses worldwide. Mycoses. 2008;51:412–5.
Ameen M. Epidemiology of superficial fungal infections. Clin Dermatol. 2010;28:197–201.
Bari AU, Khan MB. Pattern of skin diseases in black Africans of Sierra Leone, West Africa. J Clin Diagn Res. 2007;5:361–8.
Heidrich D, Daboit TC, Stopiglla CD, et al. Sixteen years of pityriasis versicolor in metropolitan area of Porto Alegre, Southern Brazil. Rev Inst Med Trop Sao Paulo. 2015;57:277–80.
Kallini JR, Raiz F, Klachemoune A. Tinea versicolor in dark-skinned individuals. Int J Dermatol. 2014;53:137–41.
Crespo-Erchiga V, Ojeda Marios A, Vera Casano A, et al. Malassezia globosa as the causative agent of pityriasis versicolor. Br J Dermatol. 2000;143:799–804.
Gaitanis G, Velegraki A, Alexopoulos EC, et al. Distribution of Malassezia species in pityriasis versicolor and seborrhoeic dermatitis in Greece. Typing of the major pityriasis versicolor isolate M. globosa. Br J Dermatol. 2006;154:854–9.
Gupta AK, Kohli Y, Faergemann J, et al. Epidemiology of Malassezia yeasts associated with pityriasis versicolor in Ontario, Canada. Med Mycol. 2001;39:199–206.
Ghahfarokhi MS, Abyaneh MR. Rapid identification of Malassezia furfur from other Malassezia species. A major causative agent of pityriasis versicolor. Iran J Med Sci. 2004;29:36–9.
Khafagy A, El Fangary M, Shahin M, et al. Identification of Malassezia species isolated from pityriasis versicolor patients. Egypt J Dermatol Vener. 2006;26:9–14.
Velegraki A, Cafarchia C, Gaitanis G, et al. Malassezia infections in humans and animals: pathophysiology, detection, and treatment. PLoS Pathog. 2015;11:e1004523.
Mayser PA, Preuss J. Pityriasis versicolor: Aktuelles zu einer alten Erkrankung. Hautarzt. 2012;63:359–67.
Martin ES, Elwski BE. Cutaneous fungal infections in the elderly. Clin Geriatr Med. 2002;18:59–75.
Mayer FL, Wilson D, Hube B. Candida albicans pathogenicity mechanisms. Virulence. 2013;4:119–28.
Cornet M, Sendid B, Fradin C, et al. Molecular identification of closely related Candida species using two ribosomal intergenic spacer fingerprinting methods. J Mol Diagn. 2011;13:12–22.
Stevenson LG, Drake SK, Shea YR, et al. Evaluation of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF) for identification of clinically important yeast species. J Clin Microbiol. 2010;48:3482–6.
Nenoff P, Krüger C, Paasch U, et al. Mycology—an update part 3: dermatomycosis: topical and systemic therapy. J Dtsch Dermatol Ges. 2015;13:387–410.
Ali R. Ecology and epidemiology of dermatophyte infections. J Am Acad Dermatol. 1994;31:S21–5.
Seebacher C, Bouchara JP, Mignon B. Updates on the epidemiology of dermatophytes. Mycopathologia. 2008;166:335–52.
Nenoff P, Kruger C, Ginter-Hanselmayer C, et al. Mycology—an update, Part 1: dermatomycosis: causative agents, epidemiology and pathogenesis. J Dtsch Dermatol Ges. 2014;12:764–77.
Zhu M, Li L, Wang J, et al. Tinea capitis in Southeastern China: a 16-year survey. Mycopathologia. 2010;169:235–9.
El Fangary M, Saudy W, Nabil T, et al. Prevalence of dermatophytes, yeasts, non dermatophyte moulds isolated from skin, hair, and nail fungal infections in the 6th October City-Giza Egypt. Egypt J Dermatol Venerol. 2011;31:5–10.
Wildemanual Y, Lekassu R, Chryssanthou E, et al. Prevalence of tinea capitis in Ethiopian school children. Mycoses. 2005;48:137–41.
Faure-Cognet O, Fricker-Hidalgo H, Pelloux H, et al. Superficial fungal infections in a French teaching hospital in Grenoble area: retrospective study on 5470 samples from 2001 to 2011. Mycopathologia. 2016;181:59–66.
Seebacher C, Abeck D, Brasch J, et al. Tinea capitis. J Dtsch Dermatol Ges. 2006;12:1085–91.
Bonifaz A, Archer-Dubon A, Saul A. Tinea imbricata or Tokelau. Int J Dermatol. 2004;43:506–10.
Dias MF, Quaresma-Santos MV, Bernardes-Filho F, et al. Update on therapy for superficial mycoses. An Bras Dermatol. 2013;88:764–74.
Chen X, Jiang X, Yang M et al. Systemic antifungal therapy for tinea capitis in children. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016;(5):CD004685.
Severo LC, Bassanesi MC, Londero AT. Tinea nigra: report of four cases observed in Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil) and a review of Brazilian literature. Mycopathologia. 1994;126:157–62.
Perez C, Colella MT, Olaizola C, et al. Tinea nigra: report of twelve cases in Venezuela. Mycopathologia. 2005;160:235–8.
Uezato H, Gushi M, Hagiwara K, et al. A case of tinea nigra palmaris in Okinawa, Japan. J Dermatol. 2006;33:23–9.
Rezusta A, Gilaberte Y, Betran A, et al. Tinea nigra: a rare imported infection. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2010;24:89–91.
Pegas JR, Crado PR, Lucena SK. Tinea nigra: report of two cases in infants. Pediatr Dermatol. 2003;20:315–7.
Elsayed A, Mowafy AM, Soliman HM, et al. Characterization of new strains of Hortaea werneckii isolated from salt marshes of Egypt. J Basic Appl Sci. 2016;3:350–6.
Maia Abinader MV, Cavalh Maron CM, Araújo LO, et al. Tinea nigra dermoscopy: a useful assessment. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2016;74:121–2.
Bonifaz A, Badali H, de Hoog GS, et al. Tinea nigra by Hortaea werneckii, a report of 22 cases from Mexico. Stud Mycol. 2008;61:77–82.
Summerbell RC, Cooper E, Bunn U, et al. Onychomycosis: a critical study of techniques and criteria for confirming the etiologic significance of non dermatophytes. Med Mycol. 2005;43:39–59.
Nenoff P, Ginter-Hanselmayer G, Tietz HJ. Fungal nail infections—an update: part I—prevalence, epidemiology, predisposing conditions and differential diagnosis. Hautarzt. 2012;63:30–8.
Martínez-Herrera EO, Arroyo-Camarena S, Tejada-García DL, et al. Onychomycosis due to opportunistic moulds. An Bras Dermatol. 2015;90:334–7.
Baran R, Hay RJ, Tosti A, et al. A new classification of onychomycosis. Br J Dermatol. 1998;139:567–71.
Gupta AK, Scher RK. Management of onychomycosis an North American perspective. Dermatol Ther. 1997;3:58–65.
Roberts DT, Taylor WD, Boyle J. Guidelines for treatment of onychomycosis. Br J Dermatol. 2003;48:402–10.
Gupta AK, Simpson FC. New therapeutic options for onychomycosis. Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2012;13:1131–42.
Cortes A, Orfanos CE. Piedra. In: Orfanos CE, Happle R, editors. Hair and hair diseases. Heidelberg: Springer; 1999. p. 745–9.
Kalter DC, Tachen JA, Cernoch PL, et al. Genital piedra: epidemiology, microbiology and therapy. J Am Acad Dermatol. 1986;14:982–93.
Rios X, Rojas RF, Hincapi ML. Eight white piedra pediatric cases. Rev Assoc Colomb Dermatol. 2012;20:175–80.
Combra CE, Santos RV. Black piedra among the Zoró Indians from Amazônia (Brazil). Mycopathologia. 1989;107:57–60.
Khatu SS, Poojary SA, Nagpur NG. Nodules on the hair: a rare case of mixed piedra. Int J Trichol. 2013;5:220–3.
Gip L. Black piedra: the first case treated with terbinafine (Lamisil). Br J Dermatol. 1994;130:26–8.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Taha, M., Zaghloul, A.B. (2018). Superficial Fungal Infections. In: Orfanos, C., Zouboulis, C., Assaf, C. (eds) Pigmented Ethnic Skin and Imported Dermatoses. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69422-1_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69422-1_5
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-69421-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-69422-1
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)