Tinea pedis and erythrasma in Danish recruits. Clinical signs, prevalence, incidence, and correlation to atopy.

Prior to military service, 665 recruits were examined clinically and microbiologically for tinea pedis and erythrasma and 546 of these were reexamined at the end of military service. The prevalence of clinical signs, erythrasma, and dermatophyte infection at the first investigation was 58.8%, 51.3%, and 6.2%, respectively, and at the second investigation, 81.1%, 77.1%, and 7.0%, respectively. The incidence of tinea pedis was 4.2% during the 9 months of military service. Of those infected at the first visit 41% had persistent infection mainly due to Trichophyton rubrum, whereas new infections were largely caused by Trichophyton mentagrophytes. Some of those persistently infected had signs of chronicity at the follow-up visit, indicating that chronic dermatophytosis may become established in the early twenties. The prevalence of atopy was 15.0% in all the recruits but was almost 50% in those with persistent tinea pedis.