Antifungal susceptibility and genetic similarity of sequential isolates of Trichophyton rubrum from an immunocompetent patient with chronic dermatophytosis.

Chronic cutaneous dermatophytoses caused by Trichophyton rubrum are common in immunocompromised patients. In immunocompetent indivuals, the disease is more often associated with onychomycosis and tinea pedis. The aim of this study was to perform antifungal susceptibility tests and genetic analysis of sequential isolates of T. rubrum from an immunocompetent patient with chronic dermatophytosis. Antifungal susceptibility tests against griseofulvin, ketoconazole, itraconazole and fluconazole were performed with sequential isolates of T. rubrum. Genetic relationship among the isolates was analysed by the random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) method. The results revealed that treatment failure was not related to the development of drug resistance, as all of the sequential T. rubrum isolates were sensitive to antifungals tested in vitro. The RAPD data demonstrated that this disease was caused by identical isolates, with no genetic differences among them, representing a single T. rubrum strain. Treatment failure and chronicity of infection do not seem to be related to antifungal resistance.