Clinical and microbiological correlation of tinea pedis in high performance Cuban athletes

Abstract

Introduction: Tinea pedis is a frequently diagnosed entity in medical practice. Mycological confirmation of the causal agent presence is essential for defining disease prevalence.

Objective: Determine the correlation between clinical and microbiological examinations (direct and culture) in high-performance Cuban athletes with suspected tinea pedis.

Methods: Descriptive, cross-sectional research (2007-2011), with an analytical component. The population consists of 1,476 athletes from 30 sports in the Higher Training Schools for High Performance Athletes of Cuba; sample: 411 individuals selected by simple random sampling followed by stratified random sampling of affiliation type. A clinical-dermatological examination was performed; scales from scrapings of the soles of both feet were collected and processed for direct examination, culture and identification using conventional methods. Absolute and relative frequencies were estimated.

Results: Most individuals (61.5 %) showed clinical-microbiological coincidence; among them, 72.5 % showed positive results by both methods, particularly in Greco-Roman wrestling and figure skating athletes. For the rest, the clinical examination and the microbiological study differed. In correspondence with the different ways in which the results of clinical observation and the results of microbiological examinations combined, individuals were grouped as: false positives (42,7 %), sick (46,7 %), and carrier (10,6 %).

Conclusions: Direct mycological examination of the sample and its culture are necessary complements of the tinea pedis diagnosis.