Trichophyton mentagrophytes var. quinckeanum as a cause of zoophilic dermatomycosis in a human family.

Trichophyton mentagrophytes var. quinckeanum is a zoophilic form of T. mentagrophytes. It induces murine favus in the form of coarse yellow scutules bigger than 1 cm in diameter. In March, 2002, a 52-year-old male patient was examined at the Dermatology Clinic of the Medical Faculty in Kosice with a 1-week anamnesis of a solitary, oval, annular focus, 3 cm in diameter, on the right side of his face, located subauricularly. When providing the history, he has mentioned that his 12-year-old son has a ,,similar skin disease". Clinical examination of the son showed similar annular oval lesion, size about 2 x 3 cm, located in the right chest region. Since January 2002 the family has kept a guinea pig. They have obtained it through a mediator from the Kosice ZOO. The material for mycological examination was taken from peripheral parts of the foci or desquamating lesions from the father, son, and the guinea pig. Scales were examined microscopically in 20 % KOH solution with Parker's blue-black ink. The findings proved the presence of septal hyphae and formation of arthrospores. Thus, dermatomycosis was confirmed in the father and son, caused by T. mentagrophytes var. quinckeanum, the source of which was a pet guinea pig (Fig. 3, Ref. 17).

[Seasonal effect on serum levels of thyroid hormones in German shepherds and dachshunds and their health status]. / Sezónnost a jej vplyv na hladiny tyroidných hormonóv v krvnom sére nemeckých ovciakov, jazvecíkov a ich zdravotný stav.

A relatively frequent prevalence of dermatoses in summer has drawn our attention. Dermatoses of endocrine origin occur very often. We have noticed the deterioration of skin changes in animals with hypothyroidism. Bubeník et al. (1983), Webster et al. (1991), Reiter et al. (1988) reported that changes in concentrations of thyroid hormones were found in fallow-deer, sheep and hamsters due to the effect of temperature and season. Based upon this knowledge we have decided to observe the health status and function of the thyroid gland in two randomly selected groups of various size dogs--German shepherd and dachshund during four seasons. We observed following parameters: concentration of triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), cholesterol (Chol) and total lipids (TL) in the blood serum, average temperatures in individual seasons. Blood was always withdrawn fasting in the morning from vena antebrachii. Concentrations of T3 and T4 were determined by the commercial kits RIA-test-T4 and RIA-test-T3 (Human-Lab, Kosice, Slovak Republic). The levels of cholesterol and total lipids were determined by the BIO-LA-tests (Lachema, Brno, Czech Republic). March, April, May were included into spring season; June, July, August into summer; September, October, November into autumn; and December, January, February into winter. The Slovak Hydrometeorologic Institute in Kosice provided the values of average temperatures in observed seasons. The average temperatures in individual seasons were the following: spring +9.8 degrees C, summer +18.4 degrees C, autumn +8.5 degrees C, winter -1.2 degrees C. During the observed period concentrations of cholesterol and total lipids ranged within the reference values in both breeds.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)