Chemotaxis is a reaction by which the direction of locomotion of cells is determined. It is a directed cellular migration along a concentration gradient of chemo attractant. If the cells are moving towards higher concentration of the attractant, chemotaxis is said to be positive. Chemotaxis in leukocytes is in contrast to bacteria which also exhibit negative chemotaxis [1]. Likewise Fungi seems...

In the developing countries of tropical regions, mycotic infections are common cause of skin diseases.The use of medicinal plants in the treatment of skin diseases including mycotic infections is an age-old practice in many parts of the world. The drugs used against dermatophytosis have several side effects, but limited efficacy. There is therefore a distinct need for discovery of new, safer an...

It is unresolved as to whether fungi that share a common skin habitat might in principal interact. In in vitro screening tests with Candida albicans, Trichophytum rubrum and other common dermatophytes, we found C. albicans releases volatile compounds that inhibit growth of the dermatophytes. By applying (enantioselective) gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometry we identified 8 compou...

surveillance of dermatophytosis is essential to determine the likely changes in etiological trends and distribution profile of this infection. in this study beta tubulin gene (bt2), was used as the first time in a pcr-rflp format to clarify the distribution of dermatophytosis agents in some parts of iran.a total of 603 clinical isolates was obtained from 500 patients in tehran, isfahan, mazanda...

results presence of soy pc improved mechanical properties, lowered swelling ratio and increased stability of the films. solubilizing activity of phospholipid resulted in higher flux of drug release from formulation containing higher amount of soy pc. antifungal efficacy of formulations was confirmed against two species of dermatophytes in vitro. conclusions this topical composite film had the p...

Invasive fungal infections have been gaining notoriety due to several factors, mainly their increasing incidence in immunocompromised patients. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antifungal activity and toxicity of the 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid (3,4,5-THB) and of its derivative, the 3,4,5-tris(acetyloxy)benzoic acid (3,4,5-TAB). The 3,4,5-THB was purchased and its derivative wa...

Use of phylogenetic species concepts based on rDNA internal transcribe spacer (ITS) regions have improved the taxonomy of dermatophyte species; however, confirmation and refinement using other genes are needed. Since the calmodulin gene has not been systematically used in dermatophyte taxonomy, we evaluated its intra- and interspecies sequence variation as well as its application in identificat...

Tinea pedis is a chronic fungal infection of the feet, very often observed in patients who are immuno-suppressed or have diabetes mellitus. The practicing allergist may be called upon to treat this disease for various reasons. Sometimes tinea infection may be mistaken for atopic dermatitis or allergic eczema. In other patients, tinea pedis may complicate allergy and asthma and may contribute to...

A Review of the Diagnosis and Management of Fungal Skin and Nail Infections D’Arcy Little, MD, CCFP, Lecturer and Academic Fellow, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto,Toronto, ON. SKIN DISORDERS Fungal Skin Infections Normally, the dryness and regular shedding of the skin’s keratin layer prevents microbial colonization.3 However, skin trauma, irritation or macerat...

Introduction Keratinophylic fungi are common inhabitants of the soil, where they process the hairs and skin cells shed by animals, as well as all types of keratin products that fall from animals and humans during the natural and continuous cycle of skin and coat shedding. The group of keratinophylic fungi is very large, but only three genera, known as dermatophytes, are known to cause disease (...