Korean J Dermatol.  1994 Oct;32(5):795-801.

The Relationship between Tinea Versicolor and Earwax Type , and Incidence and Population Densities of the Two Phases of Malassezia Furfur according to the Earwax Type

• Choi CJ
• Kim HU
• Ihm CW

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Although the wet earwax has been known to be related with the incidence of tinea versicolor, very little has been revealed on how they are correlated with each other. The incidence of Malassezia furfur, the etiological organism of tinea versicolor, and its population densities as yearst and mycelial form in the different types of earwax, the dry and the wet, have not been studied.
METHODS
The type of earwax in 65 patients with tinea versicolor were classified into 2 types, dry and wet, by its appearence and the subjective complaints of the patients. The dry and wet cerumens were obtained from 142 and 49 individulas without tinea versicolor respectively. The cerumens were stained with 10% Parker ink-KOH solution. The incidence and its population densities of yeast and mycelial M. furfur in the wet cerumens were compared with those in the dry cerumens according to a new grading method using bacterial index(BI) of lepra bacilli.
RESULTS
1. Dry and wet earwax were observed in 58.5%(38 cases) and 41.5%(27 cases) of 65 patients respectively. 2. The incidence of yeast M. furfur in the dry and wet cerumens were 100% and 63.3%(31 of 49 cases) respectively, and that of mycelial M. furfur, 28.2%(40 of 142 cases) and 32.7%(16 of 49 cases) respectively. 3. The population densities(from 3+ to 6+) of yeast M. furfur in the dry and wet cerumens were ob served in 93.0%(132 of 142 cases) and 49.0%(24 of 40 cases), and those(3+) of mycelial M. furfur, 21.1%(30 of 142 cases) and 24.5%(12 of 49 cases) respectively.
CONCLUSION
The incidence(41.5%) of wet earwax in tinea versicolor patients is significantly higher than that(0.8%) in The Korean control group. The ratio between the incidence of mycelial M. furfur and that of yeast M. furfur in the wet cerumens is higher than in the dry cerumens, and the ratio of population densities in the wet cerumens is also higher. These observations suggest that the skin surface conditions of the wet earwax group may be more suitable for yeast-mycelial transformation of M. furfur than those of the dry earwax group. The comparison of chemical compositions of the skin surface between dry and wet earwax groups is needed to elucidate the correlation between tinea versicolor and the types of earwax in the future.

MeSH Terms

Cerumen
Humans
Incidence*
Malassezia*
Population Density*
Skin
Tinea Versicolor*
Tinea*
Yeasts