Tinea Versicolor

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 versicolor.

What is Tinea Versicolor?

Tinea Versicolor, also known as pityriasis versicolor, is a chronic superficial fungal infection of the skin generally affecting the trunk or the proximal parts of the extremities. It is clinically characterized by the presence of hypochromic or hyperchromic macules on the face, arms, and trunk. All these pathogenic fungi of tinea versicolor are generally located in body areas with an abundance of sebaceous lipids such as the upper back, the trunk, and the head. Organisms are various yeasts and lipophilic fungi of the genus Malassezia as follows:

• M. furfur
• M. globosa
• M. sympodialis
• M. obtuse
• M. restricta
• M. pachydermatis
• M. sloofiae

Risks of Tinea Versicolor Infection

Tinea versicolor is one of the most common recurrent hypopigmentary disorders all over the world. It is not contagious and the infection is due to the change to the mycelial phase of the lipophilic yeast. Factors may increase the risk of infection as follows:

• Age: young adults and adolescents;
• Environment: a warm and moist climate or environment;
• Physical factors: oily skin, severe burns, a compromised immune system, poor nutrition, diabetes, and using corticosteroid medicines.

Symptoms and Signs

• Tinea versicolor is characterized by spots or patches, due to acidic bleach released from the growing yeast causes areas of skin to be a different color compared with the around the skin.
• Specific symptoms of the tinea versicolor infection are white, pink, red, or brown patches, and patches won't darken in the sun. Its presentation varies to be hypopigmentation in people with dark skin tones while hyperpigmentation in those with lighter skin color.
• Both clinical varieties are asymptomatic, and only a few patients complain of itching.

Diagnosis

The diagnosis of tinea versicolor usually be made on the basis of the clinical appearance, but it can be directly confirmed by KOH microscopy as the round yeast, short hyphae and blastoconidia are characteristic. Wood’s lamp and culture also can be used for diagnosis.

Treatment

• Topical treatment: the most appropriate therapy for tinea versicolor is topical antifungal medications containing selenium sulfide. Ketoconazole and ciclopirox suppress the growth of the yeast M. furfur. Hydrogen peroxide and other topical antifungal agents also can lessen symptoms in some patients.
• Oral treatment: Extensive infections and recurrences should be best treated with oral medications.

Types of Dermatophytosis Studied by Creative Biolabs

As a part of our antifungal drug research, Creative Biolabs has abundant and professional experience about dermatophytosis research. Our professional scientists will work closely with our customers and provide you with high-quality, flexible, and cost-effective services. Besides tinea versicolor, 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.

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