Epidemiology and identification of organisms causing superficial dermatomycoses at tertiary hospitals in Korea: A prospective multicenter study

Background: Superficial dermatomycoses are fungal infections of the skin, hair, or nails and are most commonly caused by dermatophytes. Superficial dermatomycoses are very common diseases in the field of dermatology; however, their prevalence and clinical characteristics vary with geographical areas and populations. Moreover, pathogenic species change constantly over time. Objective: This multicenter study aimed to investigate the epidemiologic and clinical findings of tinea corporis, tinea faciale, and tinea capitis in Korea during 2016-2017. In addition, we sought to identify the pathogenic organism causing these three different types of fungal infections. Methods: Total 453 patients from the dermatology clinics of 13 tertiary hospitals in Korea were enrolled in this study. Information regarding demographic characteristics, comorbidities, occupation, family history of superficial dermatomycoses, suspected routes of infection, and treatment was collected. Fungal cultures and molecular analyses were performed for patients with tinea corporis, tinea faciale, and tinea capitis. Results: Of the 453 patients, 275 were men and 178 were women. With respect to past history, 214 patients (53.4%) had at least one comorbidity. Tinea corporis (27.3%) was the most common form of superficial dermatomycosis, followed by tinea pedis (23.2%) and tinea unguium (16.6%). Overall, the fungal culture positivity was 77.8% (126/162). Trichophyton rubrum was the most common causative organism for tinea corporis (66.7%, 68/80) and tinea faciale (43.8%, 14/23), while Microsporum canis was the most common causative organism for tinea capitis (36.7%, 11/23). Conclusion: Trichophyton rubrum was consistently the most common causative organism of superficial dermatomycoses, except for tinea capitis in Korea.