Onychomycosis in Children: An Experience of 59 Cases Ann Dermatol Vol. 25, No. 3, 2013 http://dx.doi.org/10.5021/ad.2013.25.3.327 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Onychomycosis in Children: An Experience of 59 Cases Dong Min Kim, Moo Kyu Suh, Gyoung Yim Ha1 Departments of Dermatology and 1Laboratory Medicine, Dongguk University College of Medicine, Gyeongju, Korea Background: Although tinea unguium in children has been suggest the need for a careful mycological examination of studied in the past, no specific etiological agents of onycho- children who are diagnosed with onychomycosis. (Ann mycosis in children has been reported in Korea. Objective: Dermatol 25(3) 327∼334, 2013) The purpose of this study was to investigate onychomycosis in Korean children. Methods: We reviewed fifty nine patients -Keywords- with onychomycosis in children (0∼18 years of age) who Child, Onychomycosis presented during the ten-year period between 1999 and 2009. Etiological agents were identified by cultures on Sabouraud‘s dextrose agar with and without cycloheximide. INTRODUCTION An isolated colony of yeasts was considered as pathogens if the same fungal element was identified at initial direct Onychomycosis denotes nail infection from dermatophy- microscopy and in specimen-yielding cultures at a follow-up tes, nondermatophytic molds, or yeasts while tinea ungui- visit. Results: Onychomycosis in children represented 2.3% um refers specifically to the infection of the nail plate by of all onychomycosis. Of the 59 pediatric patients with dermatophytes. Onychomycosis is the most prevalent nail onychomycosis, 66.1% had toenail onychomycosis with the disease and accounts for approximately 50 percent of all rest (33.9%) having fingernail onychomycosis. The onychopathies, and tinea unguium is a specific sub-diag- male-to-female ratio was 1.95:1. Fourteen (23.7%) children nostic category of onychomycosis. The increasing prevale- had concomitant tinea pedis infection, and tinea pedis or nce of this disease may be secondary to the use of tight- onychomycosis was also found in eight of the parents fitting shoes, increasing numbers of immunosuppressed (13.6%). Distal and lateral subungual onychomycosis was individuals, and the increased used of communal locker the most common (62.7%) clinical type. In toenails, Tricho- rooms1. phyton rubrum was the most common etiological agent It has been known that onychomycosis in children is less (51.3%), followed by Candida albicans (10.2%), C. parap- common than in adults, but its frequency has been on the silosis (5.1%), C. tropicalis (2.6%), and C. guilliermondii rise1-15. Though several case have been reported on (2.6%). In fingernails, C. albicans was the most common onychomycosis in children these past three decades16-18, isolated pathogen (50.0%), followed by T. rubrum (10.0%), the causative pathogens of onychomycosis had not been C. parapsilosis (10.0%), and C. glabrata (5.0%). Conclusion: reported among Korean children. Therefore, this study Because of the increase in pediatric onychomycosis, we was designed to investigate clinical features and etiolo- gical agents of onychomycosis in children. Received May 9, 2012, Revised July 27, 2012, Accepted for publication August 6, 2012 MATERIALS AND METHODS Corresponding author: Moo Kyu Suh, Department of Dermatology, Gyeongju Hospital, Dongguk University College of Medicine, 87 Study subjects Dongdae-ro, Gyeongju 780-350, Korea. Tel: 82-54-770-8268, Fax: A retrospective review of pediatric onychomycosis at the 82-54-773-1581, E-mail: [email protected] Department of Dermatology, Dongguk University Gyeong- This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http:// ju Hospital from 1999 to 2009 identified a total of 59 chi- creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0) which permits unrestricted ldren under age 18 who had clinical signs of onycho- non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, mycosis and were diagnosed with onychomycosis by 15% provided the original work is properly cited. potassium hydroxide (KOH) test and fungal culture. Amo- Vol. 25, No. 3, 2013 327 DM Kim, et al Fig. 1. Distal and lateral subungual onychomycosis due to Tri- Fig. 2. Superficial white onychomycosis due to Trichophyton chophyton rubrum in a 3-year-old boy. Yellowish discoloration rubrum in a 3-year-old girl. Small, white, friable patches are with subungual hyperkeratosis on the right distal great toenail. spread on the right great toenail surface. ng these patients, 39 children had toenail onychomyo- colonies. In cases where the yeasts species had been cosis, and 20 children had fingernail onychomycosis. cultured, the pathogens were identified by using germ tube test and API 20C (BioMerieux, Marcy l'Etoile, France) Methods kit. Using a modified English criteria20, onychomycosis 1) Clinical features due to nondermatophytic molds or yeasts was defined if the 15% KOH test was positive, 3 identical colonies were The medical records of the 59 children were reviewed for found in fungal cultures, and the same fungus was clinical features, yearly/monthly/seasonal variations in identified in repeated cultures. incidence, age, gender, duration of disease, residential distribution, concurrent disease, family history of fungal infections, sites of nail involvement, clinical type, and RESULTS treatment strategies. According to the classification of Yearly incidence Baran et al.19, the cases were classified into the following five clinical types: distal and lateral subungual onycho- During the period reviewed in this study, the total number mycosis (DLSO), superficial white onychomycosis (SWO), of patients (all ages) with onychomycosis was 2,584. Of proximal subungual onychomycosis (PSO), endonyx ony- these, 59 were children with onychomycosis and accoun- chomycosis, and total dystrophic onychomycosis (TDO) ted for 2.3% of all cases. The yearly incidence was the (Fig. 1, 2). highest during the periods from July 1999 to June 2000, and from July 2007 to June 2008 (n=9, 15.3%), with the 2) Fungal test, fungal culture, and identification of cau- lowest incidence recorded for the period between July sative pathogens 2002 to June 2003 (n=1, 1.7%) (Fig. 3). After sterilization with 75% alcohol, a sample was obtain- Monthly and seasonal incidence ed by scraping the hyperkeratotic nail bed with a dispo- sable scalpel. Nail samples were examined under the In terms of monthly incidence, 12 children developed microscope after 5 minutes of submersion in a 15% KOH onychomycosis in January; 8 children in May; 7 children clearing solution. Fungal cultures were obtained by in July; 6 children in March; 4 children each in April, inoculating each specimen on three seperate sites of June, August, and November; and 3 children each in July, Sabouraud's dextrose agar (with and without 0.5 mg/ml October, and December; and, one child in September. cyclohexamide each with room temperature incubation Seasonally, 22 children had developed onychomycosis for from 2- to-4 weeks. Causative pathogens were during the winter (December through February), 18 identified based on gross and microscopic presence of children during the spring (March through May), 11 328 Ann Dermatol Onychomycosis in Children: An Experience of 59 Cases children during the summer (June through August), and 8 33.3%), followed by 8- to-11-year-old group, (n=10, children during the fall (September through November) 25.6%) and 12- to-15-year-old group (n=7, 18.0%). (Fig. 4). Fingernail onychomycosis occurred most commonly under the age of 3 (n=8, 40.0%), followed by 4- Age and sex to-7-year-old group (n=7, 35.0%) and 8- to-11-year-old In this group, toenail onychomycosis occurred most com- group (n=3, 15.0%). There were no 16- to-18-year-old monly among 16, 17, and 18-year-old patients (n=13, patients with fingernail lesions (Table 1). The male-to- female ratio was 1.95 : 1, with a predilection for male children (39 versus 20). (Fig. 5). Duration of the onychomycosis Among children, the usual duration of onychomycosis was less than a year (29 children, 49.1%). In 25 children (42.4%), the condition persisted 1- to-2 years, and persisted 3- to-4 years in 3 children (5.1%). The remaining 2 children (3.4%) experienced onychomychosis for at least 5 years (Table 2). Residential distribution To determine the correlation between socioeconomic conditions and prevalence of pediatric onychomycosis, residential distribution of the patients were investigated. Fig. 3. Annual incidence of patients with onychomycosis in children. Patients living in urban area (45 children, 76.3%) were more likely to have onychomychosis than those living in rural areas (14 children; 23.7%) (Fig. 6). Associated disease and family history Out of the total 59, 32 children (54.2%) had medical conditions in addition to onychomychosis. Concurrent fungal diseases was the most common (16 cases, 27.1%). Fig. 4. Monthly distribution of patients with onychomycosis in children. Table 1. Age distribution of toenail and fingernail Fig. 5. Sex distribution of patients with onychomycosis in onychomycosis patient in children children. Age group Toenail Fingernail (yr) onychomycosis onychomycosis Table 2. Duration of the onychomycosis in children 0∼3 6 (15.4) 8 (40.0) 4∼73 (7.7)0 7 (35.0) Duration (yr) Number of patient (%) 8∼11 10 (25.6)0 3 (15.0) ＜1 29 (49.1) 12∼15 7 (18.0) 2 (10.0) 1∼2 25 (42.4) 16∼18 13 (33.3)0 0 (0.0)0 3∼43 (5.1) Total 39 (100.0) 20 (100.0) ≥51 (3.4) Values are presented as number (%). Total (%) 59 (100.0) Vol. 25, No. 3, 2013 329 DM Kim, et al In particular, there were 14 cases (23.7%) of tinea pedis Among the toenail onychomycosis group, 18 children and single case of tinea faciei and of erosio interdigitalis (46.5%) had involvement of a big toenail alone, 15 blastomycetica each.