The yeasts of the genus Candida infect skin, nails, and mucous membranes of the gastrointestinal and the genitourinary tract. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of dermatomycoses caused by Candida spp., and their etiological aspects in the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre, Brazil. A retrospective study with data obtained from tertiary hospital patients, from 1996 to 2011, was performed. The analyzed parameters were date, age, gender, ethnicity, anatomical region of lesions, and the direct examination results. For all the statistical analyses, a = 0.05 was considered. Among positive results in the direct mycological examination, 12.5% of the total of 4,815 cases were positive for Candida spp. The angular coefficient (B) was -0.7%/ year, showing a decrease over the years. The genus Candida was more prevalent in women (15.9% of women versus 5.84% of men), and in addition, women were older than men (54 versus 47 years old, respectively). There was no difference between ethnic groups. The nails were more affected than the skin, with 80.37% of the infections in the nails (72.9% in fingernails and 7.47% in toenails). Our study corroborates the literature regarding the preference for gender, age, and place of injury. Moreover, we found a decrease in infection over the studied period.

RESUMO Pitiríase versicolor é a mais comum das doenças causadas pelas leveduras do gênero Malassezia. O objetivo do trabalho foi determinar a prevalência de pitiríase versicolor e seus aspectos etiológicos na região metropolitana de Porto Alegre, Brasil. Foi realizado um estudo retrospectivo transversal com dados de pacientes de hospital de referência entre 1996 a 2011. Os dados coletados foram: data, idade, gênero, etnia, local anatômico da lesão e resultados do exame micológico direto. Dentre os resultados positivos do exame micológico direto, 5,8% (2.239) foram positivos para pitiríase versicolor. O coeficiente angular (B) foi -0,3%/ ano, mostrando uma diminuição ao longo dos anos. A doença foi mais prevalente em homens (7,1% dos homens versus 5,1% das mulheres que se submeteram ao exame micológico direto); jovens (mediana de 31 anos); pardos e pretos (3,7% acima do esperado para a amostra); tronco (73,4% dos locais anatômicos afetados). Lesões em locais raros (virilha, genitálias, pernas, pés e mãos) também foram observadas no estudo. Em conclusão, devido à diminuição da prevalência de pitiríase versicolor, estudos epidemiológicos de longo prazo são necessários para continuar o monitoramento da doença na região metropolitana de Porto Alegre, Brasil.

SUMMARY Pityriasis versicolor is the most common of the diseases caused by Malasseziayeasts. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of pityriasis versicolor and its etiological aspects in the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre, Brazil. A retrospective crosssectional study with data from patients of a reference hospital from 1996 to 2011 was performed. Collected data included: date, age, gender, ethnicity, anatomical region of lesion and the direct mycological examination results. Among the positive results in the direct mycological examination, 5.8% (2,239) were positive for pityriasis versicolor. The angular coefficient (B) was -0.3%/year, showing a decrease over the years. The disease was more prevalent in men (7.1% of men versus 5.1% of women that underwent the direct mycological examination); younger age (median 31 years old); "pardo" and black people (3.7% more than expected in the sample); trunk (73.44% of the affected anatomic sites). Lesions in rare sites (groin, genitals, legs, feet and hands) were also observed in this study. In conclusion, due to the decrease in the prevalence of pityriasis versicolor, long-term epidemiological studies in the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre, Brazil, are needed to continue the monitoring of this disease.

FUNDAMENTOS: As dermatofitoses apresentam alta prevalência na população em geral e, principalmente, em pacientes com insuficiência renal crônica, necessitando tratamento com antifúngicos tópicos e/ou sistêmicos, cuja eficácia precisa ser avaliada. Estudos in vitro para avaliar a ação de antifúngicos são raros, especialmente, em fungos filamentosos. OBJETIVO: Avaliar o perfil de suscetibilidade de diferentes espécies de dermatófitos, isolados de pacientes com insuficiência renal crônica, em relação a nove antifúngicos disponíveis comercialmente para o tratamento de dermatofitoses. MÉTODO: Analisaram-se 26 isolados de dermatófitos de pacientes com insuficiência renal crônica em relação a nove antifúngicos (cetoconazol, ciclopirox olamina, fluconazol, griseofulvina, itraconazol, miconazol, piroctona olamina, terbinafina e tioconazol) pelo método de microdiluição em caldo proposto pelo Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI), com modificações para dermatófitos. RESULTADOS: Entre os antifúngicos testados, a terbinafina e o tioconazol obtiveram os melhores resultados de sensibilidade e o fluconazol apresentou baixa atividade, especialmente para as amostras da espécie M. gypseum. O ciclopirox olamina, apesar de menos eficaz que a terbinafina, também mostrou resultados satisfatórios. CONCLUSÕES: De modo geral, o perfil de sensibilidade dos antimicóticos testados seguiu o padrão de resultados mostrados por estudos anteriores, ratificando a necessidade de conhecimento da espécie causadora de dermatofitose, devido à variação do perfil de suscetibilidade entre as espécies. Além disso, nossos resultados demonstram a importância da realização de ensaios de sensibilidade in vitro, pois alguns isolados da mesma espécie apresentaram diferente perfil de sensibilidade

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of dermatophytosis in the general population is high, particularly in patients with chronic renal failure. Treatment requires the use of topical and/or systemic antifungal drugs. The efficacy of antifungal agents for the treatment of dermatophytosis has yet to be evaluated. Studies evaluating the in vitro activity of antifungal agents are rare, particularly in filamentous fungi. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the susceptibility profile of different species of dermatophytes isolated from patients with chronic renal failure to nine antifungal drugs available on the market for the treatment of dermatophytosis. METHODS: Twenty-six isolates of dermatophytes obtained from patients with chronic renal failure were analyzed with respect to their susceptibility to nine antifungal agents (ketoconazole, ciclopirox olamine, fluconazole, griseofulvin, itraconazole, miconazole, piroctone olamine, terbinafine and tioconazole), using the broth microdilution method proposed by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) and adapted for dermatophytes. RESULTS: Of the antifungal agents tested, the best results in terms of sensitivity were found with terbinafine and tioconazole, while the antifungal activity of fluconazole was found to be weak, particularly against strains of M. gypseum. Ciclopirox olamine, although less effective than terbinafine, also yielded satisfactory results. CONCLUSIONS: In general, the sensitivity profile of the antifungal agents tested in this study was similar to results obtained in previous studies, confirming the need to determine which species is causing the dermatophytosis given that antifungal susceptibility varies from one species to another. Furthermore, the present findings show the importance of conducting in vitro sensitivity tests, since the sensitivity profile may differ among isolates of the same species