Tinea Nigra

As a leading company in the field of the drug industry, Creative Biolabs has gained a wealth of good reputation for successfully completed numerous challenges in antifungal drug discovery. Based on our advanced technology platform and experienced scientists, we are able to offer a series of antifungal drug discovery services against tinea nigra.

What is Tinea Nigra?

Tinea Nigra is an asymptomatic superficial mycosis characterized by a sharply marginated, light-brown to black painless patches on the palms and the soles. This cutaneous fungal infection is caused by a pigmented yeast Hortaea werneckii (previously called Phaeoannellomyces werneckii), which usually inhabits in the soil, sewage, decaying vegetation, and also has been found on shower stalls in humid environments.

The most important predisposing factor is hyperhidrosis of the hands and the feet as H. werneckii is a halotolerant and halophilic fungus. Tinea nigra transmission is only by direct contact with the fungus, not human-to-human contract. The infection is confined to the stratum corneum of the palms or soles and occurs mainly in children and young men and women from the tropics or subtropics.

Fig.1 Infection of tinea nigra. (Xavier, 2008)

Symptoms and Signs

Tinea nigra presents as a hyperpigmented, velvety macular painless patches that are neither elevated nor scaly, and occasionally pruritic, which may be confused with acral lentiginous melanoma. The infection usually locates on the palms or soles, occasionally involves the fingers and nails, rarely occurs on the neck and trunk.

Diagnosis and Prevention

The diagnosis of tinea nigra is usually made by culture and scraping the stratum corneum with a scalpel and performing KOH microscopic examination of the samples. The main differential diagnosis is a superficial form of melanoma or a pigmented nevus. The diagnosis may also be made on the skin biopsy because of characteristic histopathological features of tinea nigra.
Good hygiene habits and avoiding excessive sweatiness will be helpful in keeping from infection.

Types of Dermatophytosis Studied by Creative Biolabs

As a part of our antifungal drug research, Creative Biolabs has abundant and professional experience in dermatophytosis research. Our professional scientists will work closely with our customers and provide you with high-quality, flexible, and cost-effective services. Besides tinea nigra, other types of dermatophytosis are also within our scope of service.

If you are interested in the fungal diseases we investigate, please click the links above. For more detailed information, just feel free to contact us.

Reference