Naslov
Dermatophyte Diversity in Onychomycosis in the Republic of Croatia – A Pilot Study

Autori
Čičmak, Ana ; Ćurtović, Ida ; Jakšić, Daniela ; Kifer, Domagoj ; Sviben, Mario ; Šegvić Klarić, Maja

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, znanstveni

Izvornik
Croatian Congress of Microbiology with International Participation / Sviličić Petrić, Ines ; Leboš Pavunc, Andreja ; Šantić, Marina ; Kifer, Domagoj - Zagreb : Hrvatsko mikrobiološko društvo, 2022, 62-62

ISBN
978-953-7778-18-7

Skup
Croatian Congress of Microbiology with International Participation

Mjesto i datum
Sveti Martin na Muri, Hrvatska, 24.05.2022. - 27.05.2023

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Poster

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
Trichophyton, ITS sequencing, onychomycosis

Sažetak
Onychomycosis is a significant public health problem in Croatia that affects about 4% of the general population and accounts for about 50% of all nail diseases. The disease affects one or more nails, and more often affects the toenails than the fingernails. The most common causes of onychomycosis are dermatophytes, non-dermatophyte hyaline moulds (NDM) and yeasts. We conducted a pilot study (from March to August 2021) to: i) determine sample size and potential risk factors related to onychomycoses of Croatian adult population (power analysis) ; ii) to explore dermatophyte diversity by combining standard microscopy (KOH solution) and cultivation (Sabouraud agar-SGA) with ITS sequence-based method. The pilot study included 112 subjects ; 91 were patients (67 women and 24 men) and 21 control subjects (17 women and 5 men). All respondents voluntarily participated in the anonymous study with informed consent and completion of the survey. Power analysis has shown that onychomycosis may be significantly affected by age, sports such as swimming and rowing, autoimmune diseases, the use of corticosteroids and dermatitis. Among patients, 43 positive results were obtained by direct microscopy with KOH. 59 isolates were identified by cultivation on SGA, of which 5 Candida sp., 40 NDM and 14 dermatophytes including Trichophyton rubrum (N=5), T. mentagrophytes (N=3), T. Interdigitale (N=4) and Microsporum canis (N=2). ITS sequencing revealed 5 isolates of T. rubrum and 1 isolate T. raubitschekii, a variant of T. rubrum ; 1 isolate of T. mentagrophytes and 5 isoaltes of Arthroderma vanbreuseghemii ; 1 isoalte of M. canis and 1 isolate of A. gypseum. Dermatophyte-positive samples were equally distributed among men and women. In the control group, 3 microscopic slides were tested positive, and all cultures remained negative. All samples in which dermatophytes were isolated were obtained from toenail samples, while Candida sp. and NDM are more often isolated from fingernail samples. In conclusion, the ITS sequencing method enables the differentiation of related dermatophyte species that cannot be determined by standard mycological cultivation methods, which makes it a valuable and less time-consuming diagnostic tool. The results are the basis for conducting a broader epidemiological study on the prevalence and species diversity of dermatophytes in onychomycosis in different counties of Croatia.

Izvorni jezik
Hrvatski

Znanstvena područja
Temeljne medicinske znanosti, Farmacija

POVEZANOST RADA