Epidemiologic Study of Malassezia Yeasts in Seborrheic Dermatitis Patients by the Analysis of 26S rDNA PCR-RFLP.
BACKGROUND
This case-control study concerns a molecular biological method based on the data gathered from a group of Korean subjects to examine the distribution of Malassezia yeasts in seborrheic dermatitis (SD) patients. Cultures for Malassezia yeasts were taken from the foreheads, cheeks and chests of 60 patients with SD and in 60 healthy controls of equivalent age.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study is to identify the relationship between certain species of Malassezia and SD. This was done by analyzing the differences in the distribution of Malassezia species in terms of age and body parts of the host with healthy controls.


METHODS
26S rDNA PCR-RFLP, a fast and accurate molecular biological method, was used to overcome the limits of morphological and biochemical methods.


RESULTS
The positive Malassezia culture rate was 51.7% in patients with SD, which was lower than that of healthy adults (63.9%). M. restricta was dominant in patients with SD (19.5%). Likewise, M. restricta was identified as a common species (20.5%) in healthy controls. In the ages 31~40, M. restricta was found to be the most common species (31.6%) among SD patients.


CONCLUSIONS
According to the results of the study, the most frequently isolated species was M. restricta (19.5%) in patients with SD. There was no statistically significant difference in the distribution of Malassezia species between the SD patients and healthy control groups.
Oh
Byung Ho
BH
Department of Dermatology, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Lee
Yang Won
YW
Choe
Yong Beom
YB
Ahn
Kyu Joong
KJ