Dermatovenereology of Russian Federation in 2020: Working Under a Pandemic

The article presents an analysis of the resources and activities of medical organizations providing medical care in the field of dermatovenereology for the period 20152020. Up-to-date data on the number of medical organizations and units providing specialized medical care in the field of dermatovenereology are provided. A description of the main changes in the provision of the population of the Russian Federation with dermatovenereologists, staffing with dermatovenereologists of medical organizations is given. Changes in the number of outpatient visits in 2020 are given. The dynamics of the bed fund of 24-hour and day hospitals of a dermatovenereological profile, the bed occupancy, the number of patients treated is described. The data on the incidence of sexually transmitted infections, infectious skin diseases are presented. Prevalence and incidence rates of diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue, including atopic dermatitis and psoriasis, are given. The impact of measures aimed at preventing the spread of a new coronavirus infection and organizing the provision of medical care to patients with COVID-19 on the performance rates of dermatovenereologic medical organizations has been demonstrated.

Isolation Of Dermatophytes From Infected Stray Cats In Selangor

Background: Dermatophytosis is the most prevalent fungal infection found in cats and one of the most serious infectious skin diseases that affect this species. Dermatophytosis can be endemic in cats, particularly in poor environments, and it is difficult to eradicate in such cases. Purpose: The aim of this research was to determine the macroscopic and microscopic identification of various types of dermatophytes present in stray cats. Methods: The research was designed as a laboratory-based study. The sample was determined through physical examination of stray cats infected with fungi and was selected based on the infection site (nail, hair, and skin) of infected cats. A total of 125 samples were collected from infected stray cats through skin scraping, haircutting, and nail clipping. The collected samples were then cultured in Sabouraud Dextrose Agar (SDA) medium and incubated for two weeks at 26°C. Following incubation, fungi were stained using Lacto-phenol Cotton Blue (LPCB) for microscopic identification. Results: The identification showed that Trichophyton spp. is the most common isolated fungal species on the hair, nails, and skin of stray cats. This is followed by Aspergillus spp. and Microsporum spp. The least common dermatophytes include Curvularia spp., Absidia spp., Epidermophyton spp., Neosytallidium spp., Alternaria spp., Scopulariopsis spp., Mucor spp., and Penicillium spp. Conclusion: The research focussed exclusively on stray cats with clinical evidence of mycotic lesions and confirmed the role of stray cats in transmitting dermatophytosis through their hair, nails, and skin. The prevalence of dermatophytes on stray cats was identified in the Selangor region.

Tissue-Resident Memory T Cells in Skin Diseases: A Systematic Review

In health, the non-recirculating nature and long-term persistence of tissue-resident memory T cells (TRMs) in tissues protects against invading pathogens. In disease, pathogenic TRMs contribute to the recurring traits of many skin diseases. We aimed to conduct a systematic literature review on the current understanding of the role of TRMs in skin diseases and identify gaps as well as future research paths. EMBASE, PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, Clinicaltrials.gov and WHO Trials Registry were searched systematically for relevant studies from their inception to October 2020. Included studies were reviewed independently by two authors. This study was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA-S guidelines. This protocol was registered with the PROSPERO database (ref: CRD42020206416). We identified 96 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. TRMs have mostly been investigated in murine skin and in relation to infectious skin diseases. Pathogenic TRMs have been characterized in various skin diseases including psoriasis, vitiligo and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Studies are needed to discover biomarkers that may delineate TRMs poised for pathogenic activity in skin diseases and establish to which extent TRMs are contingent on the local skin microenvironment. Additionally, future studies may investigate the effects of current treatments on the persistence of pathogenic TRMs in human skin.

SKIN DISEASES OF DIFFERENT ETIOLOGY IN DOGS

Currently, skin pathologies in animals are of close attention by veterinary practitioners, since the qualities of service dogs are reduced against their background, as well as natural resistance is decreased, which contributes to the emergence of skin diseases of different etiology. In this regard, a goal was set to study and analyze the occurrence of skin diseases of different etiology in dogs. To study skin pathologies in dogs, animals were examined from 2010–2018. According to the results of the data obtained, we found that skin diseases were widespread. Among skin pathologies, diseases of parasitic etiology, allergic diseases, infectious skin diseases, diseases caused by formation of neoplasms, as well as endocrine dermopathy were recorded. At the same time, the taxonomic composition of parasites in dogs was represented by 8 species, of which the class Arachnida, Cuvier, 1812 by five species of parasites, and the class Insécta, Linnaeus, 1758 by three representatives. For skin pathologies of infectious nature, representatives of these classes are Bacillales Erenberg, 1835 (Staphylococcus Rosenbach, 1884; Streptococcus Rosenbach, 1884) and the class Eurotiomycetes Microsporum Gruby 1843; Trichophyton verrucosum (Boden, 1902).

Interactions of the Skin Pathogen Haemophilus ducreyi With the Human Host

The obligate human pathogen Haemophilus ducreyi causes both cutaneous ulcers in children and sexually transmitted genital ulcers (chancroid) in adults. Pathogenesis is dependent on avoiding phagocytosis and exploiting the suppurative granuloma-like niche, which contains a myriad of innate immune cells and memory T cells. Despite this immune infiltrate, long-lived immune protection does not develop against repeated H. ducreyi infections—even with the same strain. Most of what we know about infectious skin diseases comes from naturally occurring infections and/or animal models; however, for H. ducreyi, this information comes from an experimental model of infection in human volunteers that was developed nearly three decades ago. The model mirrors the progression of natural disease and serves as a valuable tool to determine the composition of the immune cell infiltrate early in disease and to identify host and bacterial factors that are required for the establishment of infection and disease progression. Most recently, holistic investigation of the experimentally infected skin microenvironment using multiple “omics” techniques has revealed that non-canonical bacterial virulence factors, such as genes involved in central metabolism, may be relevant to disease progression. Thus, the immune system not only defends the host against H. ducreyi, but also dictates the nutrient availability for the invading bacteria, which must adapt their gene expression to exploit the inflammatory metabolic niche. These findings have broadened our view of the host-pathogen interaction network from considering only classical, effector-based virulence paradigms to include adaptations to the metabolic environment. How both host and bacterial factors interact to determine infection outcome is a current focus in the field. Here, we review what we have learned from experimental H. ducreyi infection about host-pathogen interactions, make comparisons to what is known for other skin pathogens, and discuss how novel technologies will deepen our understanding of this infection.

Interleukin-31 new biomarker of infectious skin diseases

Introduction. The introduction of antiretroviral therapy has significantly improved the long-term prognosis of AIDS patients, but opportunistic infections can still be life-threatening for this population. Among them, a large group constitutes of herpesvirus infections, which are frequent manifest forms of dermatological manifestations of HIV. The researching of IL-31, as a prospective diagnostic predictor of dermatological diseases, has been actively conducted in recent years. This is due to the interest in its biological action, which extends primarily to the skin. Тhe identification of molecular targets underlying inflammatory and infectious dermatoses is promisingly for the development of new, targeted treatments. Objective: to study the role of IL-31 in the immunopathogenesis of herpesvirus infections associated with HIV infection. Research objectives: 1) to compare the levels of IL-31 in the blood serum in patients with herpesvirus skin diseases associated with HIV infection and in healthy subjects; 2) to determine the presence of a relationship between the levels of IL-31 in the blood serum and the clinical stage of the disease. Materials and methods. The study included patients with herpesvirus infection caused by HSV-1, HSV-2, VZV-3, EBV and HHV-8 associated with HIV infection and healthy individuals. Serum IL-31 levels were measured by ELISA using commercial kits (Human IL-31 ELISA Kit, Abcam, Cambridge, MA, USA). Were collected the baseline clinical characteristics, assessment of the activity of the infectious process and the degree of immunosuppression. Results. Our study involved 39 patients with herpesvirus infection associated HIV and 31 patients of the control group. In patients with herpesvirus infection against the background of HIV infection, the average level of IL-31 in the blood serum was significantly higher than that of healthy subjects. Serum IL-31 levels in patients with herpesvirus infection did not differ significantly depending on the severity of the process and the degree of immunosuppression. Conclusion. The levels of IL-31 in the blood serum of patients with herpesvirus infection were differed by statistically significant validity in comparison with similar indicators of healthy individuals, which confirms its role in the pathogenesis of infectious skin diseases.