Abstract
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is effective in the destruction of fungi. In order to evaluate the efficacy and safety of PDT for superficial mycoses, we performed an evidence-based review of published literature. Database of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library was searched until March 2010. English-language articles evaluating the efficacy and safety of PDT for superficial mycoses were included. No randomized clinical trials were found. Seven reports described the antifungal effect of PDT against 63 superficial mycoses patients. Eight of 10 (80%) tinea cruris patients and 6 of 10 (60%) tinea pedis were led to mycological cure after 1–3 treatments. Unfortunately, only 4 (40%) tinea cruris patients and 3 (30%) tinea pedis had a persist healing at the 8-week follow-up. Six of the 9 (66.7%) foot-interdigital mycoses patients recovered clinically and microbiologically after 1 or 4 treatments. Only 2 patients (22.2%) had a persist healing at the 8-week follow-up. Eleven of 30 (36.6%) onychomycosis patients were cure for 18 months after treatment, and 3 onychomycosis patients were all cure in other 2 reports. The therapeutic effect of PDT for one pityriasis versicolor patients was well. Overall tolerability of PDT was good. Therefore, it is unclear what PDT’s place for superficial mycoses will be. Further clinical trials are needed to evaluate the efficacy of PDT to treat superficial mycoses. It is also important to optimize treatment protocols in order to cope with recurrence.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Havlickova B, Czaika VA, Friedrich M. Epidemiological trends in skin mycoses worldwide. Mycoses 2008;51 Suppl 4:2–15.
Gupta AK, Cooper EA. Update in antifungal therapy of dermatophytosis. Mycopathologia. 2008;166:353–67.
Moan J, Peng Q. An outline of the hundred-year history of PDT. Anticancer Res. 2003;23:3591–600.
Hamblin MR, Hasan T. Photodynamic therapy: a new antimicrobial approach to infectious disease? Photochem Photobiol Sci. 2004;3:436–50.
Smijs TG, Bouwstra JA, Schuitmaker HJ, Talebi M, Pavel S. A novel ex vivo skin model to study the susceptibility of the dermatophyte Trichophyton rubrum to photodynamic treatment in different growth phases. J Antimicrob Chemother. 2007;59:433–40.
Donnelly RF, McCarron PA, Tunney MM. Antifungal photodynamic therapy. Microbiol Res. 2008;163:1–12.
Calzavara-Pinton PG, Venturini M, Sala R. A comprehensive overview of photodynamic therapy in the treatment of superficial fungal infections of the skin. J Photochem Photobiol B. 2005;78:1–6.
O’Riordan K, Akilov OE, Hasan T. The potential for photodynamic therapy in the treatment of localized infections. Photodiagnosis Photodyn Ther. 2005;2:247–62.
Sotiriou E, Panagiotidou D, Ioannides D. 5-Aminolevulininic acid photodynamic therapy treatment for tinea cruris caused by Trichophyton rubrum: report of 10 cases. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2009;23:341–2.
Sotiriou E, Koussidou T, Patsatsi A, Apalla Z, Ioannides D. 5-Aminolevulinic acid-photodynamic treatment for dermatophytic tinea pedis of interdigital type: a small clinical study. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2009;23:203–4.
Calzavara-Pinton PG, Venturini M, Capezzera R, Sala R, Zane C. Photodynamic therapy of interdigital mycoses of the feet with topical application of 5-aminolevulinic acid. Photodermatol Photoimmunol Photomed. 2004;20:144–7.
Watanabe D, Kawamura C, Masuda Y, Akita Y, Tamada Y, Matsumoto Y. Successful treatment of toenail onychomycosis with photodynamic therapy. Arch Dermatol. 2008;144:19–21.
Piraccini BM, Rech G, Tosti A. Photodynamic therapy of onychomycosis caused by Trichophyton rubrum. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2008;59:S75–6.
Sotiriou E, Koussidou-Eremonti T, Chaidemenos G, Apalla Z, Ioannides D. Photodynamic therapy for distal and lateral subungual toenail onychomycosis caused by Trichophyton rubrum: preliminary results of a single-centre open trial. Acta Derm Venereol. 2010;90:216–7.
Kim YJ, Kim YC. Successful treatment of pityriasis versicolor with 5-aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy. Arch Dermatol. 2007;143:1218–20.
Morton CA, McKenna KE, Rhodes LE. Guidelines for topical photodynamic therapy: update. Br J Dermatol. 2008;159:1245–66.
Maisch T. Anti-microbial photodynamic therapy: useful in the future? Lasers Med Sci. 2007;22:83–91.
Smijs TG, Schuitmaker HJ. Photodynamic inactivation of the dermatophyte Trichophyton rubrum. Photochem Photobiol. 2003;77:556–60.
Smijs TG, van der Haas RN, Lugtenburg J, Liu Y, de Jong RL, Schuitmaker HJ. Photodynamic treatment of the dermatophyte Trichophyton rubrum and its microconidia with porphyrin photosensitizers. Photochem Photobiol. 2004;80:197–202.
Smijs TG, Bouwstra JA, Talebi M, Pavel S. Investigation of conditions involved in the susceptibility of the dermatophyte Trichophyton rubrum to photodynamic treatment. J Antimicrob Chemother. 2007;60:750–9.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (30900056).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Qiao, J., Li, R., Ding, Y. et al. Photodynamic Therapy in the Treatment of Superficial Mycoses: An Evidence-based Evaluation. Mycopathologia 170, 339–343 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11046-010-9325-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11046-010-9325-2