{"title":"Retrospective Epidemiological Analyses of 12,976 Culture-Positive Superficial Fungal Infections in Shanghai, East China.","authors":"Chunjiao Zheng, Wenjing He, Jingwen Tan, Xiaoping Liu, Yuanyuan Wang, Lulu Li, Linan Ni, Qian Yu, Lianjuan Yang","doi":"10.1111/myc.70164","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Superficial fungal infections (SFIs) are common dermatological conditions, and both domestic and international reports indicate an increasing incidence in recent years. Their prevalence is strongly affected by climate, temperature, humidity and lifestyle, resulting in significant regional variations.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>To describe the epidemiological characteristics of superficial fungal infections in Shanghai, East China, from 2022 to 2024.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This single-centre retrospective observational study was conducted at Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital. Clinical specimens, including skin scales, hair and nails, were examined using KOH microscopy, followed by culture on Sabouraud dextrose agar. Fungal identification was primarily based on colony morphology and microscopic features.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 12,976 cases of superficial fungal infections were recorded during the study period. Onychomycosis was the most common infection (33.75%), followed by tinea cruris (20.05%) and tinea pedis (18.63%). Significant gender differences were identified: females showed higher rates of onychomycosis and tinea pedis, while males more frequently presented with tinea cruris, tinea corporis and other SFIs. The highest number of infections occurred in individuals aged 31-40 years, with onychomycosis, tinea pedis and tinea versicolor being most prevalent in this group. Among culture-positive samples, dermatophytes accounted for the majority (52.54%), with Trichophyton rubrum being the most frequently isolated species (44.27%). Dermatophyte infections were more common in males, whereas yeast infections were more frequent in females. Dermatophyte infections peaked in the 31-40 and 61-70 age groups, while yeast infections were most common among individuals aged 21-40.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study provides valuable epidemiological insights into superficial fungal infections in Shanghai, offering necessary guidance for clinical diagnosis, treatment decision-making and prevention strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":18797,"journal":{"name":"Mycoses","volume":"69 3","pages":"e70164"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4000,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12958013/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Mycoses","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1111/myc.70164","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"DERMATOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Superficial fungal infections (SFIs) are common dermatological conditions, and both domestic and international reports indicate an increasing incidence in recent years. Their prevalence is strongly affected by climate, temperature, humidity and lifestyle, resulting in significant regional variations.
Objective: To describe the epidemiological characteristics of superficial fungal infections in Shanghai, East China, from 2022 to 2024.
Methods: This single-centre retrospective observational study was conducted at Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital. Clinical specimens, including skin scales, hair and nails, were examined using KOH microscopy, followed by culture on Sabouraud dextrose agar. Fungal identification was primarily based on colony morphology and microscopic features.
Results: A total of 12,976 cases of superficial fungal infections were recorded during the study period. Onychomycosis was the most common infection (33.75%), followed by tinea cruris (20.05%) and tinea pedis (18.63%). Significant gender differences were identified: females showed higher rates of onychomycosis and tinea pedis, while males more frequently presented with tinea cruris, tinea corporis and other SFIs. The highest number of infections occurred in individuals aged 31-40 years, with onychomycosis, tinea pedis and tinea versicolor being most prevalent in this group. Among culture-positive samples, dermatophytes accounted for the majority (52.54%), with Trichophyton rubrum being the most frequently isolated species (44.27%). Dermatophyte infections were more common in males, whereas yeast infections were more frequent in females. Dermatophyte infections peaked in the 31-40 and 61-70 age groups, while yeast infections were most common among individuals aged 21-40.
Conclusion: This study provides valuable epidemiological insights into superficial fungal infections in Shanghai, offering necessary guidance for clinical diagnosis, treatment decision-making and prevention strategies.
期刊介绍:
The journal Mycoses provides an international forum for original papers in English on the pathogenesis, diagnosis, therapy, prophylaxis, and epidemiology of fungal infectious diseases in humans as well as on the biology of pathogenic fungi.
Medical mycology as part of medical microbiology is advancing rapidly. Effective therapeutic strategies are already available in chemotherapy and are being further developed. Their application requires reliable laboratory diagnostic techniques, which, in turn, result from mycological basic research. Opportunistic mycoses vary greatly in their clinical and pathological symptoms, because the underlying disease of a patient at risk decisively determines their symptomatology and progress. The journal Mycoses is therefore of interest to scientists in fundamental mycological research, mycological laboratory diagnosticians and clinicians interested in fungal infections.