ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The cell mediate immunity is of importance for the development of host resistance to dermatophytic infection. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to estimate the clinical usefulness of purified trichophytin and to correlate cell mediate immunity to the clinical parameters of dermatophytosis, i. e. duration of infection, localization of infection and the type of dermatophyte involved. METHODS: For evaluation of cell mediate immunity in dermatophytosis, cutaneous immune reaction was measured in 102 patients with dermatophytosis (75 patients with chronic dermatophytosis and 27 patients with non-chronic dermatophytosis) by means of intradermal injection of purified trichophytin extracted from Trichophyton(T.) mentagrophytes. RESULTS: The results are summarized as follows: Patients with chronic dermatophytosis were positive in 10.7% of cases, while 51.9% of the patients with non-chronic dermatophytosis showed positive delayed cutaneous reactions (p<0.05). Of the dermatophytes isolated, 81.4% of the patients were chronically infected by T. rubrum. Delayed cutaneous reactions occured in infections with T. rubrum in only 17.1% of cases, but this difference was not statistically significant (p=0.06). Of the patients with tinea cruris, delayed cutaneous reactions were registered in 50%, but only in 15.1% those with tinea unguium (p<0.05). The significant difference in the rate of positivity in delayed reactions was not shown between the patients group with nail infection (15.1%) and the patients group without nail infection (28.6%). The rate of positivity in immediate and delayed reactions of the patients group in the multiple lesions (50%, 13.2%, respectively) was higher than that of the patients group in the single lesion (46.9%, 26.6%, respectively). CONCLUSION: The present study reinforced the hypothesis that susceptibility to chronic dermatophytosis is related to a lack of cell mediate immunity to the infectious agents and clinically, purified trichophytin is good for the evaluation of host sensitization to dermatophyte antigens as well as cell mediate immunity in dermatophytosis.
Subject(s)
Humans , Arthrodermataceae , Injections, Intradermal , Onychomycosis , Tinea , TrichophytinABSTRACT
The authors investigated the relationship between dermatophytosis and ABO blood groups through blood typing, identification of isolated dermatophytes and specific cellular immune response of 40 individuals carriers of this mycosis. They verified that the fungus Trichophyton rubrum, isolated from 54.5 percent of the patients, was more frequent in individuals belonging to blood group A. The cellular immune response, evaluated through the trichophytin antigen, was positive in 25 percent of the studied patients; the presence of immediate reactions (30 minutes) was verified in 35 percent. The blood group distribution among patients with dermatophytosis and control groups was, respectively: 47.5 percent X 36 percent in group A, 40 percent X 50 percent in group O, 12.5 percent X 11 percent in group B. Even though the authors have found a higher number of patients belonging to blood group A infected by T. rubrum, these results suggest that there is no statistical evidence that these individuals are more susceptible to dermatophytosis
Os autores investigaram a relação entre dermatofitose e grupos sanguíneos ABO por meio da tipagem sanguínea, identificação de dermatófitos isolados e resposta imune celular específica de 40 indivíduos portadores dessa micose. Verificaram que o fungo Trichophyton rubrum, isolado de 54,5 por cento dos pacientes, era mais frequente em indivíduos pertencentes ao grupo sanguíneo A. A resposta imune celular, avaliada pelo antígeno tricofitina, foi positiva em 25 por cento dos pacientes estudados; a presença de reações imediatas (30 minutos) foi verificada em 35 por cento. A distribuição do grupo sanguíneo entre os pacientes com dermatofitose e grupos controle foi, respectivamente: 47,5 por cento X 36 por cento no grupo A, 40 por cento X 50 por cento no grupo O, 12,5 por cento X 11 por cento no grupo B. Mesmo que os autores encontraram um maior número de pacientes pertencentes ao grupo sanguíneo A infectado por T. rubrum, estes resultados sugerem que não há evidências estatísticas de que esses indivíduos sejam mais suscetíveis à dermatofitose