The key difference between cutaneous and subcutaneous mycoses is that cutaneous mycoses occur due to superficial fungal infections of epidermis, hair, and nails, while subcutaneous mycoses occur due to fungal infections in deeper body tissues.
Mycoses are fungal infections that are most common on the skin, nails, hair, mouth, throat, lungs, urinary tract, and many other parts of the body. People have a higher risk for these fungal infections if they have a weakened immune system. Medical mycoses can be divided into four categories: cutaneous, subcutaneous, systemic, and opportunistic mycoses.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What are Cutaneous Mycoses
3. What are Subcutaneous Mycoses
4. Similarities – Cutaneous and Subcutaneous Mycoses
5. Cutaneous vs. Subcutaneous Mycoses in Tabular Form
6. FAQ – Cutaneous and Subcutaneous Mycoses
7. Summary –Cutaneous vs. Subcutaneous Mycoses
What are Cutaneous Mycoses?
Cutaneous mycoses are a group of superficial fungal infection that affects the skin and its appendages, such as hair and nails. The causes of cutaneous mycoses may include dermatophytes (tinea or ringworm), Candida species, and Aspergillus species. The signs and symptoms of cutaneous mycoses may include an itchy rash surrounded by an inflamed, scaly border, lesions with characteristic ring-like appearance, red skin patches with small satellite lesions affecting regions like skinfold areas, nails hardening and turning yellow, and skin wounds known as eschars. Immunocompromised people have higher chances of getting cutaneous mycoses.
Cutaneous mycoses can be diagnosed through physical examination, direct microscopy, fungal cultures, or Wood’s lamp examination. Furthermore, treatment options for cutaneous mycoses may include antifungal medications such as azole antifungals, amphotericin, and terbinafine, practicing good hygiene, wearing clothing that allows air circulation to the skin, and keeping the skin clean and dry.
What are Subcutaneous Mycoses?
Subcutaneous mycoses are a group of fungal infections that occur as a result of a heterogeneous group of fungi that infect the skin, subcutaneous tissue, underlying tissues, and organs. The causative agents of subcutaneous mycoses are commonly found in the soil, leaves, and organic material. They are introduced to the body by traumatic injury of the skin. Some of these agents are Sporothrix spp, Fonsecaea, Cladophialophora, Scedosporium, Basidiobolus ranarum, Rhizopus, Loboa loboi, and Rhinosporidium seeberi. Subcutaneous mycoses may have symptoms such as localized nodules, verrucous plaques, ulcerations, granulomatous tissue, subcutaneous tumors with abscesses, and fistulae. The risk factors for these fungal infections are humidity, temperature conditions, uncontrolled diabetes mellitus or acidosis, and steroid-induced hyperglycemia, especially in patients with leukemia.
Subcutaneous mycoses can be diagnosed through physical examination and histopathologic studies with specific stains such as periodic acid–Schiff or Gomori–Groccott. Furthermore, treatment options for subcutaneous mycoses may include oral itraconazole for 3 to 6 months.
What are the Similarities Between Cutaneous and Subcutaneous Mycoses?
- Cutaneous and subcutaneous mycoses are two different types of mycoses.
- Both may affect the skin.
- They may cause characteristic lesions.
- Both can be diagnosed through a physical examination.
- They can be treated through antifungal medications.
What is the Difference Between Cutaneous and Subcutaneous Mycoses?
Cutaneous mycoses are superficial fungal infections of the epidermis, hair, and nails, while subcutaneous mycoses are fungal infections in deeper body tissues. Thus, this is the key difference between cutaneous and subcutaneous mycoses. Furthermore, the risk factors for cutaneous mycoses may include immunocompromised people, while the risk factors for subcutaneous mycoses may include humidity, temperature conditions, uncontrolled diabetes mellitus or acidosis, and steroid-induced hyperglycemia, especially in patients with leukemia.
The infographic below presents the differences between cutaneous and subcutaneous mycoses in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.
FAQ: Cutaneous and Subcutaneous Mycoses
What is the common name for cutaneous mycoses?
Tineas is another name for cutaneous mycoses.
What are the classifications of mycosis?
Mycosescan be divided into four categories, namely cutaneous, subcutaneous, systemic, and opportunistic mycosis.
What are the characteristics of subcutaneous mycoses?
The lesions begin as small, hard nodules resembling keloids.
Summary – Cutaneous vs. Subcutaneous Mycoses
Mycoses are known as fungal infections. Cutaneous and subcutaneous mycoses are two different types of mycoses. Cutaneous mycoses are superficial fungal infections of the epidermis, hair, and nails, while subcutaneous mycoses are fungal infections in deeper body tissues. So, this summarizes the difference between cutaneous and subcutaneous mycoses.
Reference:
1. “Cutaneous Mycoses.” Mycology | University of Adelaide.
2. “Spectrum of Mycoses.” Medical Microbiology – NCBI Bookshelf.
Image Courtesy:
1. “OSC Microbio 21 04 DMycoses” By CNX OpenStax – (CC BY 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Chromoblastomycosis” By Department of Pathology, Calicut Medical College – Calicut Medical College (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia