Isolation of Dermatophytes by the Foot-press Method from Several, Male and Female Volunteers After Bathing in Four Public Baths

Abstract

We isolated dermatophytes from normal looking feet of individuals who had bathed in four public baths in two Japanese hotels, one so-called “healthy land”, and one public bathhouse (sentou in Japanese). All volunteers were without lesions on their feet and revealed no dermatophytes by the foot-press method prior to bathing. Two male and two female volunteers were examined after bathing in each of the public baths using the same method. From eight male samples, a total of 230 colonies of dermatophytes were isolated; however, only seven colonies were detected from four out of eight female samples. Species of isolated dermatophytes included Trichophyton rubrum (61 colonies) and T. mentagrophytes (176 colonies). During and after this study, none of the volunteers developed any lesions on their feet.