Fungal diseases are leading among a variety of infectious skin lesions. One of the common pathologies is dermatophytosis. This pathology began to occur more often in medical practice.
Features of the disease
This disease is provoked by dermatophytes. Interest in the methods of treatment of the disease has grown because of the strong spread of infection. Disease equally often can affect the skin of men, women.
There are some age characteristics.
- They consist in the fact that dermatophytosis in children affects mainly the scalp.
- As for young people, this category of fungus is located between the fingers, in the area of inguinal folds.
Specialists have established that in the Negroid race the disease in question is observed much less frequently. If a person's immunity is reduced, he will become infected with a fungus, in addition, the infection will be more severe, granulomas, abscesses may form.
Interdigital dermatophytosis( photo)
Classification of dermatophytosis
Localization of
Usually dermatophytes infect hair, horny layer of epidermis, nails. There they actively multiply, grow. Specialists, taking into account the location of the fungus, identified such subspecies of dermatophytosis:
- Stop( onychomycosis).
- Brushes.
- Faces.
- Inguinal.
- Nail.
- Torsos.
The epidermophyte of the feet will be told by a specialist in this video:
By the type of fungus
In addition, specialists have determined that not always onychomycosis provokes such fungi as dermatophytes. Sometimes this disease is provoked by yeast, molds( trichomycosis, hair loss).In this case, the following classification of this pathology should be used:
- Dermatophytosis of the scalp. Trichophytid granuloma of Mayokki.
- Dermatophyte beard, mustache.
- Folliculitis due to fungal dermatophytes.
By the form of defeat
There is still a classification developed with regard to the type of lesion:
- Epidermophytia .Infection affects the epidermis.
- Trichophytosis .Infection affects the stratum corneum of the scalp, the epidermis.
- Onychomycosis .The fungus enters the nail plates.
Causes of
The disease is manifested when fungi enter the cornea of the horny layer of the hair, dermis, nail plates. This group of mushrooms( filamentous) includes:
- Microsporam.
- Trichophyton.
- Epidermophyton.
In nature, researchers discovered over 40 species of fungi, which specialists attributed to the above three genera of dermatophytes. Of the total number of fungi, 10 species are the most popular provocateurs of infectious disease in humans.
The source of infection is a sick person, pets, soil. Taking into account the habitat, the specialists identified the following types of dermatophytes:
- Anthropophilous .The defeat of fungi of this group is epidemic. Representatives of this group are distributed through household items. These include:
- Trichophyton menta-grophytes var. Interdigitale, Trichophyton violaceum, Trichophyton tonsurans, Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton schoenleinii.
- Epidermophyton floccosum.
- Microsporam audouini.
- Zoophilic .Fungus penetrates to humans from pets( by contact, through care products).The group includes the following species:
- Microsporum canis.
- Trichophyton men-tagrophytes var. Mentagrophytes, Trichophyton equinum, Trichophyton verrucosum.
- Geofilling .Representatives of this group fall on the epithelium from the soil in which they are located. The group includes:
- Microsporum gypseum,
- Microsporum nanum.
Symptoms of
The disease we are considering has the main symptoms, individual for each type of disease. The main ones are:
- Red scaly formations( they are characterized by epidermophytosis).
- Many small foci are observed with trichophytosis. Dermis edematous in the affected area, small scales are formed on it. As for the hair, they fade, weaken, a white cover forms at their base.
Now consider the symptoms of the disease that are specific to each individual kind of dermatophytosis:
- Dermatophytosis on the feet, hands is characterized by the appearance of blisters, redness, peeling, erythema, and keratinization of the skin.
- Dermatofitii of the trunk is characterized by the appearance of peeling with clear boundaries. These formations can be large, small.
- Dermatophytosis on the groin of the ( inguinal region) is typical of the appearance of scales of large sizes, erythema. On the edges of lesions appear papules, pustules. The areas of damage are of different colors( brown, yellow-brown, red).
- Onychomycosis , arising on the nails of the hands, stop, manifests itself in the compaction of the nail plate, its destruction at the edges. Nail plates become greyish-dirty in color.
- Dermatophytosis of large folds of , smooth skin is manifested in the appearance of foci, which is characterized by ring-shaped growth, scalloped formations. In the central part of the hearth, which is similar to the ring, there is peeling.
Diagnostics
To properly select a course of therapy, specialists should conduct research aimed at determining the causative agent of the disease. To this end, laboratory technicians take the material( nails, scales, hair), which is then treated with an alkaline solution. This procedure allows you to detect the fungus, because after treatment with alkali during microscopy will be visible only the mass of fungi.
In addition to the main diagnostic method, the following is additionally used:
- Microscopy.
- Sowing
- Wood Lamp.
Microscopy
- Examination of the seized material from the affected area, after treatment with potassium hydroxide. For diagnosis, take the dermis, nails, hairs. Dermal fence is performed by means of a scalpel, the edge of a slide. Initially, remove the top layer of the epidermis, then put these scales on the central part of the slide, cover with another glass( coverslips).
- To remove material for analysis from the nail plate, laboratory technicians use a scalpel. Specialists perform the sampling of material from different parts of the nail plate for various forms of the disease( from the inner region of the nail, the material is taken with the distal-lateral subungual onychomycosis, with the outer one, if the surface shape of the onychomycosis is determined.) On the inside, the material is also taken with a proximal subungual lesion.
- For research take broken hairs through tweezers, needle holder.
To process the withdrawn material take potassium hydroxide( 5 - 20%).The product drips onto the tip of the glass, it under the influence of capillary forces flows between the panes. When heated, bubbles form. After such clarification, the study is carried out by means of a microscope of the material taken. The mycelium of fungi is similar to the accumulation of thin tubes. Inside these tubes there are partitions.
Sowing
To conduct the study, flakes removed from the infected dermis, scraping from the nails, hairs will be required. Mushroom cultivation is performed on a Saburo medium, which consists of glucose, peptone, agar-agar.
Wood lamp
The procedure is carried out in a dark room. If the hair is affected by Microsporum spp., Specialists will observe a green glow.
Differential diagnostics with such diseases can also be prescribed:
- Erythema.
- Ring-shaped granuloma.
- Erythrasm.
- Psoriasis.
And now we learn how to treat dermatophytosis.
This video will show you how to get rid of nail fungus and feet:
Treatment of
General principles of
Therapy of dermatophyte is carried out by means of various antifungal agents intended for internal use, as well as antiseptics, antimycotics intended for local therapy.
From systemic drugs, experts are assigned to combat dermatophytes the following:
- "Terbinafine".
- Griseofulvin.
From drugs that have a wide range of action, included in the class of azoles, for the treatment of dermatophyty appoint:
- "Itraconazole".
- "Ketoconazole".
- «Fluconazole».
Modern terbinafine is considered to be very effective from modern antimycotics. About ointments for the treatment of head dermatophytosis we will talk below.
Hairy head
Treatment of dermatophytosis of the scalp is more difficult. Systemic therapy is necessary to destroy dermatophytes. Therapy of dermatophytosis, which occurred on the scalp, is carried out by means of the following preparations:
- Griseofulvin.
- "Terbinafine".
- «Fluconazole».
- "Itraconazole".
About treatment of dermatophyte of feet, hands we will talk below.
Nail, feet and brushes
These same drugs are effective in the treatment of dermatophyte nails, feet, brushes. The duration of therapy depends on such factors:
- prevalence of the lesion;
- form of the disease;
- age of the sick.
Prevention of
To avoid unpleasant fungal infections, one should adhere to such preventive measures:
- Compliance with dryness, purity of the skin.
- Do not use items of doubtful purity( in the gym, swimming pool).
- Keep track of the cleanliness of underwear and clothes.
- After carrying out water procedures, wipe your feet dry.
- Use only your personal items.
- Carry out skin treatment after visits to gyms, swimming pools, baths.
- Monitor the health of pets( if you suspect lichen, contact a veterinarian).
- Walk on the beach, in public places with slippers.
Complications of
This disease is not life threatening. The main unpleasant moment is the tendency of the disease to recur, as well as the fact that it has a chronic course.
Forecast
The disease can last from several months to a year or more. Full recovery is possible with the correct approach of a specialist to conduct therapy( systemic, complex, repeat).
Even more useful information about dermatophytosis is contained in the video with Elena Malysheva: