Most dermatologists have the impression that dermatophytosis due to Trichophyton rubrum has been increasing in recent years, while infections due to Trichophyton mentagrophytes have been on the decrease.* The same observation was made by us in the Mycology Section of the New York Skin and Cancer Unit. Since the records of this Section are available as far back as 1935, it seemed of interest, in view of the chronicity and resistance to therapy of T. rubrum infections, to obtain statistics concerning this apparent shift in incidence from one etiologic agent to another. Our figures include those published from this institution by Montgomery and Casper† in 1945 and 1946.
Method
On the average, 3500 patients are seen yearly in the Mycology Section, a representative cross section of the heterogeneous population of the New York area. Roughly 50% of these patients suffer from conditions other than dermatophytosis, such