PubMed · 358263
The source did not provide an abstract. Follow the original record for more information.
Explore connections, maps & timelines
J Vincent. 1978. Dermatophyte lipids.. https://doi.org/10.1016/0079-6832(78)90042-3
Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.
KEEP EXPLORING
BACKGROUND: Large-scale studies performed outside the United States have demonstrated that most cases of onychomycosis and tinea pedis are caused by dermatophytes, primarily Trichophyton rubrum. However, other studies have suggested that yeasts and nondermatophytic molds may play a role, particularly in onychomycosis. OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to determine the epidemiology of superficial fungal infections in a U.S. population. METHODS: Fungal cultures were performed on patients with clinically suspected tinea cruris, tinea corporis, tinea capitis, tinea pedis, and onychomycosis. RESULTS: Dermatophytes were the most commonly isolated fungi in each type of superficial fungal disease studied. T. rubrum was the most commonly isolated dermatophyte species, although Trichophyton tonsurans was more common in tinea capitis and equally common in tinea corporis/tinea cruris. In tinea pedis and onychomycosis, dermatophytes appeared in approximately 95% and 82% of isolates, respectively. Candida albicans and nondermatophyte molds played only a minor role in onychomycosis; C. albicans was isolated in 7% of nail cultures and nondermatophytic molds were isolated in 11%. CONCLUSION: These results are in general agreement with other major epidemiologic studies performed outside the United States. Dermatophyte fungi cause most superficial fungal infections.
Dermatophytes, members of the anamorphic genera Epidermophyton, Microsporum, and Trichophyton, are capable of invading keratinous tissue, causing cutaneous infection referred to as dermatophytosis. These species may be anthropophilic, zoophilic, or geophilic based on host preference and natural habitat. These groupings are epidemiologically significant. This article provides a description of the genera and species of the dermatophytes--gross and microscopic--and the tests that may be necessary to confirm their identification.
In the early phase of dermatophytosis, neutrophils are regularly detected microscopically in the infected skin. Although neutrophil recruitment may at least in part occur indirectly by complement activation, we asked whether dermatophytes might release chemoattractants for neutrophils. We cultivated various strains of different dermatophytes and tested fungal extracts for the presence of neutrophil chemotactic activity. As a result, we detected neutrophil chemotactic activity only in diethylether extracts, but not in aqueous extracts. We purified this lipid-like leukocyte activator (LILA) to apparent homogeneity by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography and found that purified LILA does not show ultraviolet absorption at wavelengths > 210 nm. Biologic studies revealed that LILA is as effective as formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine in eliciting neutrophil chemotaxis, degranulation, and activation of the respiratory burst. Desensitization experiments in chemotaxis and degranulation with leukotriene B4, platelet-activating factor, or 5-oxo-eicosanoids revealed that LILA does not cross-desensitize with any of these other lipid-like attractants and thus possibly acts via a distinct as yet postulated neutrophil receptor. It is hypothesized that LILA, similarly to formylated methionyl peptides in bacteria, represents a dermatophyte- and possibly fungus-specific lipid compound that allows the host phagocytes to specifically recognize fungal infection. This system would be similar to the recognition of bacteria by phagocytes via N-formylated methionyl peptides, which represent a characteristic and unique system to identify bacteria.