Outbreak of dermatophytosis in a high-level French judo team: prospective study 2006/2011. Efficacy of a therapeutic protocol introduced in 2004/2005]

Background.-Outbreaks of dermatophytosis have been reported more and more frequently in combat sports such as wrestling and judo. Such outbreaks are difficult to treat due to the involvement of numerous actors and structures. The main aim of our study was to determine whether the use of a standardized treatment in a high-level judo team could successfully reduce the outbreak. Our secondary objectives were to study the topography of lesions and ascertain whether consultations for suspected dermatophytosis were significantly more frequent during the 4 weeks following a judo training course. Materials and methods.-We conducted a prospective follow-up study from October 2004 to the end of June 2005 (series 1) and then from September 2006 to June 2011 (series 2) during which all new suspected cases of dermatophytosis in a judoka from Pole France Orleans were examined at the Orleans Dermatology Department. For each consultation, we prepared a map of lesions and mycological samples, and patients received standardized treatment. Results.-We compared the two series and a considerable decrease was noted in dermatophytosis outbreaks after the introduction of these measures. The mean number of visits per training season was 97 for series 1 and 21.6 per training season for series 2. The mean numbers of episodes of cutaneous lesions clinically active per training season were 74 for series 1 and 16.8 for series 2. Lesions were localized mainly on the forearms, face and neck (40% for series 1 and 73% for series 2). "Waves" of visits (at least two visits per week) occurred significantly more frequently (68%) during the 4 weeks following a training period than during the rest of the year. Conclusion.-Standardized management of this outbreak reduced the number of infectious episodes. (C) 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.