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PCR enables rapid detection of dermatophytes in practice

Summary

This study shows that a new rapid DNA-based test (PCR) is much faster and more effective than traditional methods for diagnosing fungal skin, hair, and nail infections. While traditional culture methods took about 19 days to get results, the new PCR test gives results in just 16 hours. The PCR test detected more infections and is now the preferred diagnostic method in Northern Finland, helping doctors treat patients more quickly and avoid unnecessary antifungal medications.

Background

Dermatophytes cause superficial infections of skin, hair, and nails affecting an estimated 20-25% of the global population. Traditional diagnosis has relied on slow culture-based methods taking 1-6 weeks, while PCR-based methods offer faster results. This study evaluates the transition from culture-based to PCR-based diagnostics in Northern Finland.

Objective

To assess the quantitative and qualitative aspects of transitioning from culture-based diagnostics to PCR-based methods for detecting superficial fungal infections in a population of approximately 720,000 people over a 4-year period.

Results

PCR samples increased steadily from 2015-2022, exceeding culture/microscopy samples in 2019, reaching 87.6% of samples by 2022. PCR detected significantly higher positivity rates than culture (P<0.001). Mean turnaround time decreased from 19 days with culture to 16 hours with PCR. T. rubrum (78.8%) and T. interdigitale (7.3%) were most common species detected.

Conclusion

PCR-based detection using DermaGenius 2.0 has become the diagnostic method of choice for dermatophyte infections, providing significantly faster results and higher sensitivity than traditional culture methods. While PCR covers the most important pathogens, culture remains necessary for detecting rare fungal species when PCR results are negative with strong clinical suspicion.
  • Published in:Microbiology Spectrum,
  • Study Type:Retrospective Observational Analysis,
  • Source: 10.1128/spectrum.01049-24, PMID: 39287452
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