Question

List the similarities and differences encountered when comparing mycetoma and chromoblastomycosis.

Answer 1

Mycetoma
Mycetoma is a chronic, progressively destructive morbid inflammatory disease usually of the foot but any part of the body can be affected. Infection is most probably acquired by traumatic inoculation of certain fungi or ‎bacteria into the subcutaneous tissue. Mycetoma was described in the modern literature in 1694 but was first reported in the mid-19th century in the Indian town of Madura, and hence was initially called Madura foot.

Chromoblastomycosis
The disease Chromoblastomycosis is a chronic infection of cutaneous and subcutaneous tissues. Lesions are clinically polymorphic, the most frequent are nodular, verrucous and tumoral. Many different species of fungi are associated with this infection but the three most common species are: Fonsecaea pedrosoi, Cladophialophora carrionii and Phialophora verrucosa.

The disease was first described in Brazil by Dr Max Rudolph, a German physician in 1914.

Difference-

S.no.	basis	mycetoma	Chromoblastomycosis
1	skin lesions	white verncoid cutaneouslesion	small nodules and multiple discharging sinuses
2	morphology organisms	brown, round with thick walls. Yeast forms show septation( selerotic bodies or medlar bodies)	masses of black colour thick walled hyphal elements in the periphery of grains
3	tissue response	granulohistiocytic with microabscess formation	neutrophilic abscess with granulomatous reaction
4	direct microscopy	brown pigmented ,planate dividing, rounded sclerotic bodies	neutrophilic abscess with granulomatous reaction white to yellow or black pigmented grains
5	culture colonies	olivaceous black with a suede-like surface ,5-12 micro meter	white and woolly at first , becoming olivaceous ,yellow or brown later , generally producing a brownish diffusing pigment.

similarity-

S.no	mycetoma	Chromoblastomycosis
1	Transmission occurs when the causative organism enters the body through minor trauma or a penetrating injury, commonly thorn pricks	Patients become infected when injuries break the skin and allow the fungus to enter the body.
2	The causative organisms can be detected by examining surgical tissue biopsy as well the lesion sinuses discharge	The fungi can be identified in skin scrapings or by biopsy