BACKGROUND: The cell mediate immunity is of importance for the development of host resistance to dermatophytic infection. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to estimate the clinical usefulness of purified trichophytin and to correlate cell mediate immunity to the clinical parameters of dermatophytosis, i. e. duration of infection, localization of infection and the type of dermatophyte involved. METHODS: For evaluation of cell mediate immunity in dermatophytosis, cutaneous immune reaction was measured in 102 patients with dermatophytosis (75 patients with chronic dermatophytosis and 27 patients with non-chronic dermatophytosis) by means of intradermal injection of purified trichophytin extracted from Trichophyton(T.) mentagrophytes. RESULTS: The results are summarized as follows: Patients with chronic dermatophytosis were positive in 10.7% of cases, while 51.9% of the patients with non-chronic dermatophytosis showed positive delayed cutaneous reactions (p<0.05). Of the dermatophytes isolated, 81.4% of the patients were chronically infected by T. rubrum. Delayed cutaneous reactions occured in infections with T. rubrum in only 17.1% of cases, but this difference was not statistically significant (p=0.06). Of the patients with tinea cruris, delayed cutaneous reactions were registered in 50%, but only in 15.1% those with tinea unguium (p<0.05). The significant difference in the rate of positivity in delayed reactions was not shown between the patients group with nail infection (15.1%) and the patients group without nail infection (28.6%). The rate of positivity in immediate and delayed reactions of the patients group in the multiple lesions (50%, 13.2%, respectively) was higher than that of the patients group in the single lesion (46.9%, 26.6%, respectively). CONCLUSION: The present study reinforced the hypothesis that susceptibility to chronic dermatophytosis is related to a lack of cell mediate immunity to the infectious agents and clinically, purified trichophytin is good for the evaluation of host sensitization to dermatophyte antigens as well as cell mediate immunity in dermatophytosis.
Arthrodermataceae ; Humans ; Injections, Intradermal ; Onychomycosis ; Tinea* ; Trichophytin*

This study was to investigate the relationship between the causative strains and lesional sites and to detect the status of cell mediated immunity in the patients with concurrent fungal infections. The authors performed mycological and immunologic studies on 32 patients with concurrent fungal infections who had visited the dermatologic clinic of Soonchunhyang University HospitaI from July 1982 to June 1983. The results were summarized as follows: It was 18 cases that had the positive cultures in all the lesion sites. Among them 12 cases obtained the same causative strains in all lesions of each patierit. The cultured dermatophytes were Trichophyton rubrum, 10 stains, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, 2 strains. 2. Positive inrnediate hypersitivity reaction was observed only in patients with concurrent fungal infection by trichophytin (87. 5%). 3. For the delayed hypersensitivity reaction, the mean skin reaction scores to PPD, candidin, trichophtin were l. 58, 2. 78, 0. 66 respectively in 32 patients with concurrent fungal infection and 1. 89, 2. 47, l. 50 respectively in 17 controls, but the statistically significancies were only in trichophytin (p<0. 05). 4. The mean percentage of total and active T cell counts in peripheraJ blood were 55. 2%, 23. 9% respectively in 18patients, and 64,0%, 29. 8% in controls(p<0. 05). There was a significant decrease of T-cell count in patients with concurrent fungal infections.
Arthrodermataceae ; Cell Count ; Coloring Agents ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity, Delayed ; Immunity, Cellular ; Skin ; T-Lymphocytes ; Trichophytin ; Trichophyton

The pathogenesis of vitiligo has not been fully elucidated, but three different hypothese have been advanced to explain the cause of vitiligo. One is related to autoimmunity, another concerns neurohumoral factors and the third involves self-destruction of melanocytes. The autoimmune theory of vitiligo is further strengthened by the increased association of vitiligo with a nurnber of autoimmune disorders and by the increased prevalence of organ-specific autoantibodies in vitiligo. Also decreased T lymphocytes in vitiligo patients were reported. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the cell mediated immune status of patients with vitiligo using several in vitro and in vivo immune parameters. Thirty patients between the ages of 12 and 65 were observed at the Department of Dermatology of Ewha Womans University Hospital from Apri11981 through October 1981. Age matched 30 healthy persons comprised the control group. The results were summarized as follow: 1) The mean percentage of T lymphocytes in 30 vitiligo subjects and 30 control subjects were 55.3% and 67.4% respectively. There was a significant decrease of T lymphocytes in patients with vitiligo(p<0.05). 2) The percentage of subjects showing positive delayed hypersensitivity reactions to candidin, trichophytin and PPD were 33.3%, 43%, 50% respectively in 30 vitiligo patients and 60%, 75%, 80% respectively in 20 controls. A slight depression in delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity in gatients with vitiligo. (p<0.1). 3) The percentage of subjects showing positive sensitization with DNCB was 53% in 30 vitiligo patienta and 85% in 20 controls. A slight depression in DNCB sensitization was evident in vitiligo patients(p<0.1).
Autoantibodies ; Autoimmunity ; Depression ; Dermatology ; Dinitrochlorobenzene ; Female ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Hypersensitivity, Delayed ; Immunity, Cellular* ; Melanocytes ; Prevalence ; T-Lymphocytes ; Trichophytin ; Vitiligo*