Trichophytosis is a fairly common disease when it comes to lichen. To many, this term may seem unfamiliar. In fact, under it lies the well-known ringworm. It can be easily picked up by talking to a street cat. The price of a moment of tenderness is often this unpleasant disease.
Medical certificate
Trichophytosis is a fungal dermatological disease. It affects the hairline, skin and nails. Initial signs of infection appear within the first week. With timely treatment, the disease disappears without a trace. Otherwise, a progressive pathological process can lead to a violation of the integrity of the skin and persistent baldness.
Trichophytosis in humans is of several types: superficial, infiltrative-suppurative (deep), chronic. Each of the forms of the disease is characterized by a specific clinical picture. They will be discussed in more detail.just below.
Infectious agent
Trichophytosis - this name is derived from the main causative agent of the disease - the trichophyton fungus. In medical reference books, its other names are also used: ringworm, dermatophytosis, ringworm. However, all these are synonyms for one pathological process.
Getting on human skin, fungi penetrate into the dermis, where they begin to multiply. If spores germinate near hair follicles, they may be affected.
Transmission routes
The main carriers of fungi are street animals, as well as young and middle-aged children. In the first case, the disease will be more severe. The thing is that other fungi can be the cause of ringworm. However, it is trichophytons that are the most common pathogens of the disease.
Fungus tends to persist on household items. Therefore, the main route of transmission of the disease is contact-household. In this case, it is not at all necessary to have direct contact with an animal or an infected person. Trichophyton spores are easily spread through the air and quickly "take root" in the body.
On the other hand, after direct or indirect contact, a person does not always get sick. If the fungus just gets on the skin, it will be destroyed by the immune system. For infection to occur, predisposing factors must be present. These include traumatic damage to the skin, prolonged exposure to high humidity and a decrease in the body's defenses.
Risk group
The probability of contracting fungal infections in almost all age and gender groups is the same. However, trichophytosis in children attending kindergarten or school is detected several times more often. This is evidenced by medical statistics.
A fungus that falls off with particles of hair or wool can live in the soil for up to several months. Therefore, the number of cases of infection increases in the autumn-spring period, when agricultural work begins. There is a high probability of developing such an ailment among farmers and gardeners.
Clinical picture
The incubation period of trichophytosis in humans is 3-4 days. Then its main symptoms begin to form. They depend on the area in which the main focus of the pathological process is localized.
For example, when smooth skin is affected, the disease manifests itself in the form of scaly pinkish spots bordered by a slight thickening. On this peculiar rim, small bubbles may periodically appear. Over time, they burst, dry out and become covered with crusts.
When it comes to damage to the skin under the hair, initially they begin to peel off. In this case, the patient does not experience discomfort. Then, in these areas, the hair becomes brittle. And after a while they start to fall out. As for the nail plates, black spots appear on them. They gradually increase in size, spreading over the entire plate. The nail itself becomes brittle.
Features of the course of the disease in children
Trichophytosis in childrenin its clinical manifestations does not differ from the adult form of the disease. However, in small patients, the probability of self-healing is almost zero. Therefore, the infectious process should be treated immediately after the onset of initial signs. In addition, all clothing and personal items must be thoroughly disinfected to remove any remaining fungus spores. This is a kind of prevention of trichophytosis, or rather re-infection.
Surface form of trichophytosis
The incubation period of the disease is 7 days. Depending on the focus of localization, superficial trichophytosis can affect both the scalp and smooth skin.
The first case is usually diagnosed in children. Much less often, this form of pathology occurs in newborns and adults. The patient may have multiple foci with blurred boundaries. In diameter, they reach 2 cm. They are localized mainly in isolation from each other. The dermis around such a focus is red, slightly swollen, covered with whitish bran-like scales. Puffiness and redness are sometimes aggravated by vesicles and pustules. Hair in this area gradually loses its luster and becomes brittle.
Smooth skin lesion occurs in isolation or combined with trichophytosis of the scalp. Favorite places of localization are the areas of the neck and face, forearms, torso. The disease occurs in people of different age groups. It begins with the appearance of one or 2-3 swollen spots. They have clearborders, may slightly protrude above the surface of the skin. Itching is usually absent or mild.
Infiltrative suppurative trichophytosis
In this case, the incubation period can vary from a few weeks to 2 months. The disease begins its development with the appearance of several pinkish spots with pronounced borders. Their marginal roller consists mainly of plaques and vesicles, which eventually shrink into crusts. In the future, the inflammatory process only gets worse. The spots increase in size, can merge together. The scalp is considered to be the favorite place of localization. They can also occur in the chin area and above the upper lip.
With infiltrative-suppurative trichophytosis, lymph nodes sometimes increase. Patients complain of general malaise. An increase in body temperature, severe headaches are not excluded.
Chronic form of trichophytosis
The disease is most often diagnosed among adolescents and adult women. In boys infected in childhood, spontaneous self-healing is observed during puberty. In girls, the pathology acquires a chronic course. The disease is characterized by a poor clinical picture. In most cases, it is detected during the "epidemiological chain" in order to identify the carrier of the fungal infection within the same family.
Pathological foci of chronic trichophytosis are found both on the scalp and in the buttocks, shins, forearms. Rarely, the symptoms of the disease appear on the trunk or face. First, the patient develops pinkish-bluish spots with a scaly surface. In this case, there are no pustules or vesicles.
Against the background of the chronic form of the disease, sometimes the nail plates are involved in the pathological process. First, gray spots appear on them, which gradually increase. Then they change color to yellow, and the entire surface becomes bumpy. Further, the nail plates thicken and noticeably deform.
Diagnostic Methods
Trichophytosis in humans refers to dermatological diseases. Therefore, if you suspect an ailment, you need to contact a dermatologist for help. Also, another specialist works in this area - a mycologist.
Diagnosing a fungal infection is quite simple. First, the doctor performs a physical examination, sometimes supplemented by an examination using a Wood's lamp. It is necessary for differentiation with microsporia, which in the light of this device gives a green glow.
The next step in the diagnosis is microscopic and cultural examination of scrapings from the affected areas. This approach allows you to accurately determine the causative agent of the disease. During the procedure, the doctor scrapes off skin flakes or hair fragments with a scalpel, and then examines them under a microscope and inoculates them in Sabouraud's nutrient medium.
In practice, microscopic and cultural studies are not always assigned. An urgent need appears only when it is required to determine the type of pathogen and its sensitivity to antifungal drugs. Inexpensive, but effective remedies for trichophytosis will be mentioned below.
Medicated treatment
Therapy of the disease depends on where the focus of the pathological process is located.
You can stop the infiltrative-suppurative form of trichophytosis using lotions prepared from Burov's liquid. In a hospital, abscesses must be opened, then the cavities are washed with a special solution. The sanitized hearth is treated with tincture of iodine and sulfuric ointment is applied.
Therapy for trichophytosis of smooth skin consists in the external use of antifungal drugs. Inexpensive, but effective means are well-known ointments: salicylic, sulfuric and sulfur-tar. Any drug can treat the affected areas. Isoconazole, Clotrimazole have a positive therapeutic effect. You can eliminate a pronounced inflammatory process with the help of combined medications, which contain hormones (Mycozolon, Travocort). If the underlying ailment is accompanied by a bacterial infection, the doctor may recommend Triderm cream.
When the scalp is infected, systemic antifungal therapy is used. The main drug to eliminate the pathology is the antibiotic "Griseofulvin". It comes in tablet form and is derived from a fungus.
In the chronic form of the disease, black dots on the head are removed according to the Arievich method. First, for two days, a milk-salicylic ointment is applied under the compress. Thenthe bandage is removed and reapplied with 2-5% salicylic ointment. After that, the keratinized layer of the skin is removed with a blunt scalpel, and the points themselves are removed with tweezers.
Treatment of trichophytosis is not stopped until the tests show a negative result. The standard course of therapy is from 1.5 to 2 months.
Features of therapy among children
Trichophytosis in young patients is treated according to the same principles as in adults. The changes concern only the choice of drugs. Preference is given to medicines containing terbinafine ("Lamisil", "Terbizil"). They are less toxic and well tolerated by babies.
The dosage and duration of the course of therapy is determined by the doctor. At the same time, he must take into account the age of the patient and the form of the disease.
Help of traditional medicine
Traditional therapy for trichophytosis in humans can be successfully supplemented by the use of non-traditional means. For example, folk healers recommend rubbing an ointment prepared on the basis of garlic into the affected areas. The crushed mass must be supplemented with plantain juice and birch charcoal. All ingredients are taken in equal proportions.
You can also wash the infected areas of the skin with an aqueous infusion of string, celandine and horsetail. For this recipe, herbs are taken in an approximate ratio of 4:2:1. Dry ingredients should be poured with water, left to infuse for 50 minutes. It is recommended to use the resulting remedy several times a day.
Prevention Methods
Trichophytosis prevention should be carried out regardless of whether there is a risk of infection. First of all, doctors advise to observe the basic rules of personal hygiene, not to use someone else's clothes and utensils. Take a shower every day and change your underwear afterwards. Shoes must always be dry. You should also limit direct contact with people or animals that have been diagnosed with ringworm.
