title: Zoophilic and geophilic dermatophytoses among farmers and non-farmers in Eastern Poland.
abstract: The study was aimed at assessing the frequency of zoophilic and geophilic fungal infections among farmers compared to non-farmers in eastern Poland. The study was carried out on adult patients with a suspicion of fungal infection of skin or its appendages. Skin scrapings or nail fragments were cultured on Sabouraud agar with chloramphenicol and cycloheximide for at least 3 weeks, and then identified based on macroscopic and microscopic morphology. In total, 116 subjects were included into the farmers group, 67 females and 49 males, aged 18-88 (median 53) years. Dermatophyte infection was found in 64 farmers (55.2%). Anthropophilic dermatophytes were identified in 61 farmers (52.6%), whereas zoophilic or geophilic dermatophytes - in only 5 farmers (4.3%). Trichophyton verrucosum was found in 3 cases, while T. terrestrae and Microsporum gypseum - 1 case each. The control group comprised 74 non-farmers, 40 females and 34 males, aged 18-93 (median 47) years. Among them, dermatophyte infection was found in 35 (47.3%) patients. Anthropophilic dermatophytes were identified in 30 (40.5%), whereas zoophilic or geophilic dermatophytes in 6 persons (8.1%): M. canis in 2 patients, and T. verrucosum, T. mentagrophytes var. mentagrophytes (granulosum), M. nanum, and T. terrestrae - 1 case each. There were no significant differences between farmers and non-farmers. Zoophilic and geophilic fungi identified in our study were responsible either for superficial mycosis and/or onychomycosis, no case of deep mycoses or scalp infections were found. Our data suggest that zoophilic and geophilic dermatophytoses are not frequent among eastern-Polish farmers.
authors.affiliation: Instytut Medycyny Wsi, Jaczewskiego 2, 20-090 Lublin, Poland. spiewak@galen.imw.lublin.pl
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Spiewak
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Szostak
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000382:Agricultural Workers' Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic; D009783:Dermatitis, Occupational / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003881:Dermatomycoses / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000453:epidemiology