A modified technique (using polyester tape) of skin surface biopsy. Its interest for the investigation of athlete's foot.

A technical modification of skin surface biopsy has been introduced by using plastic tape instead of glass as holder, mainly to investigate mycological infections of skin folds. Among various brands of plastic sheets, a polyester film (Melinex O UCB-SIDAC) has been demonstrated as the most suitable. A direct microscopic comparison has been made between our modified technique and conventional scraping as procedures for collecting material from interdigital spaces in 30 patients with bilateral athlete's foot. It has been shown that the skin surface biopsy gives a slightly greater number of positive results (presence of dermatophytes or Candida species) than the conventional scraping technique, although the difference between both techniques is not statistically significant at the 0-05 level (0-05 less than P less than 0-10). Some advantages of the modified skin surface biopsy are emphasized.