title: Epidemiological characteristics of Malassezia folliculitis and use of the May-Grünwald-Giemsa stain to diagnose the infection.
abstract: Various bacterial, fungal, parasitic, and viral pathogens can cause folliculitis, which is often mistakenly treated with antibiotics for months or even years. A laboratory diagnosis is required before therapy can be planned. Here, we describe the prevalence and risk factors, as well as the clinical, cytological, and mycological characteristics, of patients with Malassezia folliculitis (MF) in Adana, Turkey. We also report the treatment responses of the MF patients and describe the Malassezia spp. using culture-based molecular methods. Cytological examinations were performed in 264 folliculitis patients, 49 of whom (18.5%) were diagnosed with MF. The positivity of the May-Grünwald-Giemsa (MGG) smear was higher (100%) than that of the potassium hydroxide test (81.6%). Using Wood's light, yellow-green fluorescence was observed in 66.7% of the MF patients. Identification using the rDNA internal transcribed spacer region revealed that Malassezia globosa was the most common species, followed by Malassezia sympodialis, Malassezia restricta, and Malassezia furfur. The MF patients were treated with itraconazole capsules (200 mg/d) for 2 weeks. Complete recovery was observed in 79.6% of the patients. These novel findings help improve our current understanding of the epidemiological characteristics of MF and establish MGG as a practical tool for the diagnosis of MF.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, Başkent University Adana Hospital, Adana, Turkey.
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Durdu
authors.forename: Mümtaz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Güran
authors.forename: Macit
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ilkit
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004801:Eosine Yellowish-(YS); D005260:Female; D005499:Folliculitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D017964:Itraconazole / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008290:Malassezia / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008297:Male; D008751:Methylene Blue; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D014010:Tinea Versicolor / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D004271:DNA, Fungal; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer; C043260:May-Grunwald Giemsa; D017964:Itraconazole; D008751:Methylene Blue; D004801:Eosine Yellowish-(YS)
keywords: Acne vulgaris; Cytology; Itraconazole; Pityriasis versicolor; Wood’s light; rDNA