PREVALENCE AND RAPID DIAGNOSIS OF ERYTHRASMA IN A UNIVERSITY DIAGNOSTIC LABORATORY OF NORTH WEST IRAN: ROLE OF CULTURE VS. DIRECT EXAMINATION

Background and Aim:Erythrasma is a chronic superficial infectious disorder affecting the major skin folds or the intertriginous areas of the skin. The incriminated organism is usually the bacteria however, fungal morphology also plays vital role. The disease exhibits coral-red fluorescence under Wood light or is diagnosed by gram stain. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of erythrasma and the microorganisms implicated in adult patients with superficial or intertriginous lesions.Methods:This prospective study enrolled out-patients possessing either superficial erythematous patch or intertriginous area of involvement. Smear was made by scraping the affected area and specimen collected was examined after gram’s stain as well as subjected to culture on Sabouraud dextrose agar and blood agar.Results:Of 108 patients enrolled, 26 (24.07 %) were diagnosed with erythrasma based gram’s staining observation, which showed presence of epithelial cells covered with tiny gram positive bacilli resembling Corynebacterium spp. or yeast like cells. The disease was more common in women 73 (67.59%) and the mean age of the patients was 36.5 years. The main clinical findings were scaling and maceration. On bacterial culture Corynebacterium spp. was isolated in 12 (11.1%) cases while 8 (30.7%) cases were positive for following microorganisms: Candida spp. (16.6 %) and dermatophytes (12.5 %).Conclusion:Erythrasma is a common condition and it persists if not treated appropriately. Rapid diagnosis is easily obtained by gram’s staining, while culture is laborious. The coexistence of erythrasma with dermatophytes and Candida spp. should be considered when bacterial morphology is absent.

کلیدواژه ها:

Erythrasma ، gram ، Corynebacterium ، Candida ، Dermatophytes