Global Insights and Trends in Research on Dermatophytes and Dermatophytosis: A Bibliometric Analysis.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Dermatophytosis, caused by dermatophytes, affects up to 25% of people globally, with higher rates observed in Africa and Asia. While these infections are usually superficial, they can become severe in immunocompromised individuals. Despite their high prevalence, scientific research on dermatophytes is limited and the epidemiological data available are insufficient. In addition, diagnostic methods are not standardised and there are challenges with resistance to antifungals. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to conduct a bibliometric analysis of scientific publications related to dermatophytes and dermatophytosis to assess research output and trends. METHODS: A bibliometric analysis of publications from 2000 to 2023 in Web of Science and Scopus examined trends, citation counts, publication types, key journals, top authors and institutions and funding sources. RESULTS: The analysis revealed a significant increase in dermatophyte-related publications, with 15,868 articles retrieved from the Web of Science and 23,189 from Scopus. Research articles dominated the output, constituting 76.2% in Web of Science and 80% in Scopus. Peak publication years were 2019, 2021 and 2022 in Web of Science, and 2020, 2021 and 2023 in Scopus, with lower output between 2000 and 2002. The United States and India were the leading contributors, followed by Brazil and China, though citation metrics varied. Although there has been a rise in the number of publications, the amount of research conducted on dermatophytes is still very limited in comparison with other types of fungal diseases. CONCLUSIONS: Dermatophyte-related research has increased over the past 2 decades. However, research gaps remain, particularly compared with other fungal diseases. Advances in diagnostics, antifungal testing and taxonomic classification are urgently needed. The study underscores the need for continued research and global collaboration to address these issues.