Onychomycoses due to Microascus cirrosus (syn. M. desmosporus)

Microascus cirrosus is very rarely the aetiological agent of onychomycosis. We report two additional cases of toenail infections caused by this fungus.     

Analysis of the factors influencing the therapeutic effects of onychomycosis

From July 1 994to June 1 999,5 4 5 onychomyco-sis patients were treated with Itraconazole and com-pleted their treatment courses with complete follow-up in out- patientdepartment.The recovery rate was83.1 4% and 79.2 3% in fingernail and toenail dis-eases respectively.But following phenomena werefound:( 1 ) Some new nails stopped growing in cer-tain length,even if the treatment continued;( 2 )Some damaged nails reappeared soon after the treat-ment ceased;( 3) Some damaged nails with deep- co…     

伊曲康唑间歇冲击疗法治疗甲真菌病

用伊曲康唑短程间歇冲击疗法治疗甲真菌病５４例（指甲真菌病２６例,趾甲真菌病２８例）,并随访９个月。结果显示：患者指甲临床治愈率为８８５％,真菌学治愈率为９６１％;趾甲临床治愈率为８２１％,真菌学治愈率为９６１％;仅有７４％的患者出现恶心、胃肠道不适等轻微副作用。本疗法疗效高、副作用小和安全性好     

甲真菌病临床评分指数计算公式的推导和计算尺的研制

目的：建立甲真菌病临床评分指数（SCIO）的计算公式和计算尺。方法：根据甲真菌病的发展规律和系统抗真菌治疗甲真菌病的原理,按Sergeev评分规则,应用数学分析方法进行推导和设计计算尺。结果：SCIO计算尺由一直尺和其上的一游标组成。直尺上刻有两组带有刻度的直线,滑动直尺上的游标,即可通过游标上的垂直线读出所要求的SCIO值。结论：SCIO计算游标尺具有使用方便、便于携带的优点。     

Update: medical treatment of onychomycosis

The diagnosis of onychomycosis should be made clinically and mycologically: clinically, by one of seven subtypes of onychomycosis, and mycologically, by evidence of dermatophytes or verified presence of molds and/or yeasts. Dermatophytes are usually considered as pathogens, whereas non‐dermatophyte molds and yeasts are saprophytes. Basic anamnesis and close inspection should be performed to eliminate combined diseases (e.g., onychomycosis and trauma). The gold standard treatment for onychomycosis is basically systemic. Combination with topical agents, such as nail lacquer and/or chemical nail avulsion, produces better results than systemic treatment alone. Topical treatment as monotherapy is not efficient, excluding minor cases. Terbinafine is superior to itraconazole for dermatophyte onychomycosis. Evaluation of the outcome of clinical cure, mycological cure and total cure should be based on the well‐defined worldwide criteria; otherwise, comparison of results is impossible due to lack of uniformity in different studies. In case of treatment failure, the reasons for each failure should be carefully considered.     

Treatment of onychomycosis with a 1,064-nm long-pulsed Nd:YAG laser

Abstract

Background: There are various treatment modalities of onychomycosis. Of these, however, oral antifungal therapies are complicated by potential drug interactions and systemic effects, and the surgical treatment can result in prolonged pain. Therefore, a new, safe and effective therapy is needed that can improve the aesthetic appearance of the nails. Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of treatment of onychomycosis with a 1,064-nm long-pulsed Nd:YAG laser. Methods: 13 patients (31 toenails, 12 fingernails) received five treatment sessions at 4-week intervals with a 1,064-nm long-pulsed Nd:YAG laser. Parameters for each treatment were 6 mm spot size, 5 J/cm² fluence, 0.3 ms pulse duration and 5 Hz pulse rate. Results: Of the 13 patients, 8 (61.5%) were women and 5 were men. The mean age of the patients was 62. Of the 43 nails, 4 (9.3%) achieved a complete cure (9.3%), 8 had excellent treatment outcomes (18.6%) and 31 had good treatment outcomes (72%). None of the 13 patients experienced any discomfort except for a mild burning sensation and there were no adverse effects. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that the 1,064-nm long-pulsed Nd:YAG laser could be a safe and effective treatment modality in the management of patients with onychomycosis.     

Fungal foot infection,cellulitis and diabetes: a review

Aims To review the current evidence for the presence of fungal foot infection (tinea pedis and toenail onychomycosis) as a risk factor for the development of cellulitis within the lower limb, particularly for those individuals with diabetes. Methods A structured review of medline , embase and cinahl databases was undertaken to identify publications investigating fungal foot infection as a risk factor for the development of cellulitis. Results Sixteen studies were identified. Eight studies adopted a case–control methodology, with the remainder being cross‐sectional surveys. The majority of studies established the presence of tinea infection by clinical rather than established microbiological methods. Although the majority of papers suggested a link, only two case–control studies employed microbiological diagnosis to demonstrate that fungal foot infection was a risk for the development of lower limb cellulitis, particularly when infection was located between the toes. There were insufficient data to suggest that fungal foot infection posed an increased risk to patients with diabetes. Conclusion There is some evidence to suggest that fungal infection of the foot is a factor in the development of lower limb cellulitis, but further robust research is needed to confirm these findings and quantify the risk that fungi pose, particularly to the diabetic foot. Meanwhile, improved surveillance and treatment of tinea infections on the foot by healthcare professionals should be encouraged to reduce potential complications.     

In vitro antifungal susceptibility testing of fungi in patients with onychomycosis

Onychomycosis is the most common nail disorder. To examine in vitro antifungal susceptibility of fungi among onychomycosis patients. The study included 68 patients with onychomycosis. Nail specimens were cultured on Sabouraud dextrose agar and Dermasel agar base‐media. Isolated fungi were subjected to antifungal susceptibility tests against terbinafine, itraconazole, fluconazole, and griseofulvin. Candida species (Candida spp.) were detected in 32.4% of the cases of candidal onychomycosis (n = 37), 23.5% of the cases of distal and lateral subungual onychomycosis (n = 17), and 21.4% of the cases of total dystrophic onychomycosis (n = 14). Candida spp. were sensitive to fluconazole in 73.5%, itraconazole in 58.8%, and terbinafine in 5.9% of the cases. Aspergillus spp. were sensitive to itraconazole in all cases, and terbinafine in 87.5% of cases. Penicillium spp. were sensitive to itraconazole and terbinafine in 88.9% and 77.8% of cases, respectively. Trichophyton spp. were sensitive to terbinafine and resistant to itraconazole. Microsporum spp. were sensitive to itraconazole and resistance to terbinafine. All isolated fungi were resistant to griseofulvin. An increasing proportion of Candida spp. was observed among patients with different clinical varieties of onychomycosis. Candida spp. were highly sensitive to fluconazole and a lesser extent to itraconazole.