Production of an anti-dermatophyte monoclonal antibody and its application: immunochromatographic detection of dermatophytes.

Tinea refers to superficial infection with one of three fungal genera-Microsporum, Epidermophyton, or Trichophyton-that are collectively known as dermatophytes. These infections are among the most common diseases worldwide and cause chronic morbidity. They are usually diagnosed by direct microscopy and fungal culture, which are burdensome to perform in the clinical setting.

Evaluation of a newly-developed immunochromatography strip test for diagnosing dermatophytosis.

Background: Traditionally, dermatophytosis, a common disease affecting millions of people world-wide, has been diagnosed by direct microscopy and fungal culture. The immunochromatography (ICG) strip test was recently developed.

Methods: We compared the performance of the ICG strip test for the detection of dermatophytes in samples from human skin and nails with direct microscopy.