Dermatophytes-Flora in Tohoku District during the Period of 10 Years from 1969 through 1978

Abstract

According to the results of cultivation in Aomori, Akita and Miyagi prefectures, the statistical studies of dermatophytes-flora in Tohoku district during the period of 10 years from 1969 through 1978 were carried out with the following results. (1) Annual incidence of patients with dermatophytosis revealed no apparent increase during recent 10 years (Fig. 1). Sex incidence showed higher in male, with a disparity in number of 20 to 60 cases in a year, than in female. The reason for this disparity may be thought to attribute mainly to the remarkable superiority of tinea cruris in male, since other types of dermatophytosis revealed almost same incidence. (2) 6, 302 cases observed in this series consisted of Tinea pedis 3, 069 (48.7%), Tinea cruris 1, 096 (17.4%), Tinea corporis 826 (13.1%), Tinea manuum 461 (7.3%), Kerion celsi 18, Tinea capitis 12, and Sycosis trichophytica 12 cases (Table 1). (3) Species and incidence of 4, 428 strains cultivated in this period are as follows: T. rubrum 3, 096 (69.8%), T. mentagrophytes 1, 144 (25.8%), E. floccosum 107 (2.4%), M. canis 28, T. verrucosum 27, T. violaceum 21, and M. gypseum 5 (Table 2). (4) When these results compared with that of the previous 10 years from 1959 through 1968, it may be said that the remarkable change of the flora was represented the disapperance of M. ferrugineum which was main causative agent of Tinea capitis, and appearance of T. verrucosum and M. canis which were frequently isolated from the lesion of Tinea capitis, Tinea corporis and Kerion celsi, in the whole area of Tohoku district (Table 3, 4, 5). (5) With reference to regional characteristics of dermatophytes-flora, it may be conceivable that T. mentagrophytes invades more dentsively in northern region than in southern region and, on the contrary, E. floccosum was more frequently isolated in southern region (Table 3, 4, 5). (6) The main causative organism of Sycosis trichophytica was T. rubrum similar to the previous 10 years from 1959 to 1968.