Abstract
Dermatophytic infections are common worldwide but the distribution of dermatophyte species varies among geographical areas and changes over time. The aim of this study was to determine the epidemiologic profile of dermatophytosis in Stockholm, Sweden. Laboratory records comprising direct microscopy and culture results of 37,503 specimens from skin, hair and nail scrapings collected from January 2005 through December 2009 were retrospectively analyzed in the mycology laboratory at Karolinska University Hospital. Onychomycosis had, over time, the highest overall prevalence of 14.1%, followed by tinea pedis (4.4%). Trichophyton rubrum was the predominant pathogen isolated from these cases (83.2%), followed by T. mentagrophytes (7.4 %). In contrast, T. violaceum and T. soudanense accounted for 81.6% of the isolates from patients with tinea capitis.
Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.
This paper was first published online on Early Online on 2 December 2010.