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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Photodynamic action of red light for treatment of erythrasma: preliminary results.

BACKGROUND: Erythrasma is a superficial cutaneous infection caused by Corynebacterium minutissimum and is characterized by fluorescence under Wood's light (UV) because of the presence of porphyrins. These molecules are photosensitizing and we propose to assess efficacy of red light that activates porphyrins (photodynamic reaction) in treatment of this pathology. OBJECTIVES: Assessment of effects of photodynamic action of red light for treatment of erythrasma without exogenous photosensitizing molecules. METHODS: Thirteen patients with erythrasma were treated by one illumination (80 J/cm2) by red light (broad band, peak at 635 nm) without exogenous photosensitizing molecules. Disappearance or reduction of extent of lesions were observed 2 weeks later. If lesions were still present, a second irradiation was conducted with the same method. RESULTS: Preliminary results are presented. As a result of red light irradiation, we noticed a complete recovery for three patients and, in most other cases, reduction of extent of lesions (mean: -29% after one session). The treatment was well tolerated. CONCLUSION: We report first cases of photodynamic treatment of erythrasma. There are other reports of clinical applications of antimicrobial action of photodynamic therapy in dermatology (acne vulgaris, leishmaniasis, warts, etc.). But there are few applications without addition of exogenous photosensitizing agent. The originality and interest of our study is to use spontaneous presence of porphyrins in the lesions. This technique seems to be an interesting alternative, inexpensive and easy, for the treatment of this localized infection. But an optimal method is still to be determined to improve efficacy.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Pityriasis versicolor on the groin mimicking erythrasma.

Pityriasis versicolor (PV) is a widespread dermatomycosis caused by yeasts. Erythrasma is a superficial bacterial skin disease affecting the major folds of the body, particularly the groin. We report the case of a 45-year-old man, affected by PV, exclusively localized in the inguinal folds and in the inner surface of the thighs, characterized by lesions clinically reproducing erythrasma. The authors underline the possibility that PV mimics erythrasma and vice versa, especially in those countries in which both diseases are quite common, and stress the importance of performing a simple mycological examination to avoid gross diagnostic and therapeutic errors.

Antifungal Agents↗
PubMed1994

[Swimmer's eczema: intertrigo, erythrasma or a yeast or fungus infection?].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the proportional contributions of tinea pedis, intertrigo, erythrasma and Candida to 'swimmer's eczema.' DESIGN: Descriptive. SETTING: Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Leiden, the Netherlands. METHOD: General practitioners were encouraged to refer every patient with clinical signs of foot mycosis. Mycological tests (culture and microscopy) were performed. RESULTS: A total of 296 patients with interdigital mycosis and 30 with tinea pedis of the moccasin type were included. In 56% of the patients with swimmer's eczema dermatophytes were recognised, 10% showed erythrasma and in 30% no cause could be found. Candida only played a minor role. Trichophyton mentagrophytes was found more often in swimmer's eczema than in tinea pedis of the moccasin type. CONCLUSION: Swimmer's eczema has several causes, which can be determined with mycological tests. Microscopy is the most sensitive method in regard to demonstrating dermatophytes and erythrasma.

Candida↗
PubMed1993

Nonfluorescent erythrasma of the vulva.

BACKGROUND: Erythrasma is an uncommon vulvar infection, best diagnosed by its fluorescence under the Wood lamp. This report shows that despite a negative Wood lamp examination, the diagnosis can be made histologically. CASE: A 42-year-old woman was referred to our clinic with a persistent candidal infection. Evaluation included a Wood lamp examination, wet mount, and potassium hydroxide test of the affected skin, all of which were negative. A biopsy of the area demonstrated rods and filamentous organisms in the keratotic layer consistent with a Corynebacterium minutissimum infection. The patient was diagnosed as having erythrasma, and she responded to oral erythromycin. CONCLUSION: Persistent vulvar diseases may be caused by erythrasma despite a negative Wood lamp examination. The diagnosis can be made by biopsy of the lesion.

Adult↗
PubMed1972

The erythrasma microorganism in situ: studies using the skin surface biopsy technique.

The skin surface biopsy technique has been used to investigate the erythrasma organism in situ in the stratum corneum in 11 patients. Staining by PAS and Gram stain showed the presence of a large number of organisms arranged haphazardly in some areas and in microcolonies in others. With the scanning electron microscope it was possible to see that smooth filamentous chains of microorganisms had penetrated horn cells and caused disturbance of the surface structure of these cells.Enzyme histochemical tests showed that the erythrasma microorganism possessed a strong reactivity for NAD diaphorase and other mitochondrial enzymes. The reactivity was focal confirming a complex subcellular organization of organelles. It is suggested that the erythrasma microorganism secretes a mucopolysaccharide sheath in some circumstances.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Tinea pedis and erythrasma in Danish recruits. Clinical signs, prevalence, incidence, and correlation to atopy.

Prior to military service, 665 recruits were examined clinically and microbiologically for tinea pedis and erythrasma and 546 of these were reexamined at the end of military service. The prevalence of clinical signs, erythrasma, and dermatophyte infection at the first investigation was 58.8%, 51.3%, and 6.2%, respectively, and at the second investigation, 81.1%, 77.1%, and 7.0%, respectively. The incidence of tinea pedis was 4.2% during the 9 months of military service. Of those infected at the first visit 41% had persistent infection mainly due to Trichophyton rubrum, whereas new infections were largely caused by Trichophyton mentagrophytes. Some of those persistently infected had signs of chronicity at the follow-up visit, indicating that chronic dermatophytosis may become established in the early twenties. The prevalence of atopy was 15.0% in all the recruits but was almost 50% in those with persistent tinea pedis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Management of cutaneous erythrasma.

Corynebacterium minutissimum is the bacteria that leads to cutaneous eruptions of erythrasma and is the most common cause of interdigital foot infections. It is found mostly in occluded intertriginous areas such as the axillae, inframammary areas, interspaces of the toes, intergluteal and crural folds, and is more common in individuals with diabetes mellitus than other clinical patients. This organism can be isolated from a cutaneous site along with a concurrent dermatophyte or Candida albicans infection. The differential diagnosis of erythrasma includes psoriasis, dermatophytosis, candidiasis and intertrigo, and methods for differentiating include Wood's light examination and bacterial and mycological cultures. Erythromycin 250mg four times daily for 14 days is the treatment of choice and other antibacterials include tetracycline and chloramphenicol; however, the use of chloramphenicol is limited by bone marrow suppression potentially leading to neutropenia, agranulocytosis and aplastic anaemia. Further studies are needed but clarithromycin may be an additional drug for use in the future. Where there is therapeutic failure or intertriginous involvement, topical solutions such as clindamycin, Whitfield's ointment, sodium fusidate ointment and antibacterial soaps may be required for both treatment and prophylaxis. Limited studies on the efficacy of these medications exist, however, systemic erythromycin demonstrates cure rates as high as 100%. Compared with tetracyclines, systemic erythromycin has greater efficacy in patients with involvement of the axillae and groin, and similar efficacy for interdigital infections. Whitfield's ointment has equal efficacy to systemic erythromycin in the axillae and groin, but shows greater efficacy in the interdigital areas and is comparable with 2% sodium fusidate ointment for treatment of all areas. Adverse drug effects and potential drug interactions need to be considered. No cost-effectiveness data are available but there are limited data on cost-related treatment issues. A guideline is proposed for the detection, evaluation, treatment and prophylaxis of this cutaneous eruption.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1991

Systemic or local treatment of erythrasma? A comparison between erythromycin tablets and Fucidin cream in general practice.

In a Danish multi-practice study the efficacy of erythromycin tablets (Abboticin 500 mg tablets), fusidic acid cream (Fucidin cream), and placebo was compared in 86 patients (71 men and 15 women) with erythrasma. The patients were treated 'double-blind' for 14 days with either active tablets + placebo cream, placebo tablets + active cream, or placebo tablets + placebo cream. The signs of erythrasma, i.e. colour intensity, demarcation, and scaling of the affected area, as well as degree of fluorescence under Wood's light, were recorded before treatment, after one and two weeks, and at follow-up four weeks later. Cure/improvement was obtained in 77% of the cases in the erythromycin group, 87% in the fusidic acid group, and 42% in the placebo group. There was no difference between the active preparations, whereas both were significantly better than placebo, P = 0.01.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Disciform erythrasma.

A case of disciform erythrasma is presented. This unusual manifestation of a common cutaneous infection may mimic other dermatologic disorders, including lichen sclerosus et atrophicus and plaque-type parapsoriasis. The condition is characterized by an atrophic appearing surface, located in nonintertriginous areas. Appropriate diagnostic procedures easily differentiate disciform erythrasma. These include Wood's light examination, potassium hydroxide preparation, and skin scrapings or tissue sections stained with Gram stain, periodic acid-Schiff, Giemsa, or methylene blue.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Pityriasis rotunda mimicking tinea cruris/corporis and erythrasma in an Indian patient.

Pityriasis rotunda is a rare disease characterized by perfectly round to oval, sharply defined, scaly, hypo/hyperpigmented patches of variable number and size located mainly over the trunk and proximal extremities. More than 95% of the reported cases in medical literature are from three countries/ethnic populations, namely Japan, South Africa (Bantu), and Italy (Sardinian islanders). To the best of my knowledge, no patient with the characteristic clinico-pathologic features has been reported from the Indian subcontinent. I report a 44-year-old man with eighteen pityriasis rotunda patches, persistent for nearly 20 years. The lesions in the groin and axillae closely resembled erythrasma and tinea, and he had received treatment for these conditions several times in the past. Histopathology of the skin biopsy showed thinning of the epidermis with a thinned-out granular layer and a sparse lymphomononuclear infiltrate in the dermis. A review of literature suggests that there are two subsets of the disease. The type I subset is comprised of pityriasis rotunda associated with systemic illness and is seen in Black or Oriental patients with no family history of the disease. The lesions tend to subside on treatment of the underlying illness. The type II subset patients are Caucasians as well as Blacks and Orientals with no underlying systemic illness. Familial occurrence is possible; lesions tend to be persistent and unresponsive to therapy.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Coexistence of pityriasis versicolor and erythrasma.

We describe a 53-year-old woman with pityriasis versicolor together with erythrasma that was localized in the axillary and genitocrural region. The coexistence of these infections is rare and we propose the use of methylene blue stain for the diagnosis of both diseases.

Corynebacterium↗
PubMed1983

Double-blind comparison of the efficacy, toleration and safety of tioconazole base 1% and econazole nitrate 1% creams in the treatment of patients with fungal infections of the skin or erythrasma.

A total of 61 patients with proven fungal infection of the skin or with erythrasma took part in a double-blind comparison of the efficacy, toleration and safety of tioconazole base 1% w/w and econazole nitrate 1% creams applied twice daily. Some patients had more than one site of infection and some were infected with more than one fungal/bacterial species. The mean duration of treatment in the tioconazole group of patients was 40 days (range: 12-68) and in the econazole group 38 days (range: 17-101). Clinical and mycologic cure was achieved in 27 of 29 (93.1%) tioconazole-treated and 29 of 31 (93.5%) econazole-treated patients. All but 1 of the cured patients in each treatment group were seen some 6 weeks after the end of treatment; all remained clinically and mycologically cured. Both creams were found to be generally acceptable in terms of ease of application. Some staining was reported in both treatment groups. One side effect of mild intermittent pruritus was reported in an econazole-treated patient. The minimum inhibitory concentrations were determined.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Bifonazole 1% gel in the treatment of superficial dermatophytoses and erythrasma of the feet and groin.

An open, non-comparative study was carried out by four general practitioners into the efficacy and tolerability of a new antifungal preparation, bifonazole 1% gel. The preparation was used once daily to treat clinically diagnosed, superficial dermatophytoses and erythrasma of the feet or groin in 91 patients of which 51 were confirmed by mycological examination. A complete mycological evaluation was available for 28 patients and a cure was recorded in 23 (89%) of these cases. Four patients reported discomfort and burning on application of the preparation and changed to alternative treatments.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

[Generalized erythrasma].

A case of generalized Erythrasma is reported. Reference to its denomination and etiology is made. His apparition in type II diabetics patients is analyzed. Therapeutics considerations of this disorder is made.

Corynebacterium Infections↗
PubMed1976

[Erythrasma of the nails].

We have studied 17 cases of pseudomycotic onychoses. This condition is frequently seen in the toe nails with the clinical aspect of hyperkeratosis of the nail bed and onycholysis. The Giemsa stained preparations have been performed with the clinical material previously heated in a 40% OHK solution and washed out with distilled water by centrifugation. The microorganism has similar or identical characteristics to those of the agent of erythrasma of the folds. Its morphology and physiological characteristics are comcon to "Corynebacterium" and "Nocardia". It is a gram positive, acid-fast organism with tendency to produce filaments with short lateral branches and fragmentation spores. Indirect inmunofluorescence identifies microorganisms present in the clinical material and that obtained in cultures.

Adolescent↗