Applicability of an Anti-Trichophyton Monoclonal Antibody for the Immunohistochemical Diagnosis of Human Fungal Skin Infections (Dermatophytosis) in Tissue Sections

摘要

Fungal infections of the skin and nails are very common in humans. They are mostly due to fungi of the Trichophyton, Epidermophyton, and Microsporum species, and yeasts of the genus Candida and Malassezia. The diagnosis of fungal skin and nail infections can be suspected from the clinical appearance of lesions but should be confirmed with laboratory tests, including the direct examination of skin scrapings, culture of pathologic material on Sabouraud's medium, and/or microscopic examination of skin or nail specimens. Fungal skin infections manifest with erythematous, scaly, occasionally pustular lesions and may clinically mimic other inflammatory dermatoses such as dermatitis or psoriasis; therefore, not infrequently, the diagnosis of fungal skin infections is made upon histological examination of a skin biopsy. Histochemical stains [such as periodic acid–Schiff (PAS) and Gomori–Grocott] are routinely performed to visualize fungi in tissue sections as these are very seldom, if ever, clearly visible in routinely stained (hematoxylin and eosin) tissue sections. However, routine histological examination with histochemical stains can rarely identify with certainty the responsible fungal species.