ArticlePLoS neglected tropical diseases2026
Clinical presentation, etiology, and treatment outcomes of mycetoma: A 25-year retrospective study in Southern Thailand.
Article in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMycetoma is a chronic subcutaneous infection caused by fungi (eumycetoma) or filamentous bacteria (actinomycetoma). Although recently recognized by the World Health Organization as a neglected tropical disease, data from Southeast Asia are scarce. Previous reports from Thailand were limited and outdated. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL
findingsWe conducted a 25-year retrospective study (2000-2025) at a tertiary referral hospital in southern Thailand. Patients were identified from hospital records and confirmed by histopathology and/or culture. Fifty patients met inclusion criteria: 31 (62%) had eumycetoma and 19 (38%) had actinomycetoma. The median age was 50 years (IQR 41.8-58.0), and 62% were male. The foot was the most common site (80%), with bone involvement in 28%. Sinus tracts occurred in 43%, but visible grains were recorded in only 12%. Histopathology (performed in 86%) reliably distinguished fungal from bacterial etiologies, whereas culture yield was low, especially for actinomycetoma (27%). Among eumycetoma, identified pathogens included dematiaceous fungi such as Exophiala jeanselmei and hyaline molds such as Scedosporium and Fusarium. Among the few culture-positive actinomycetoma cases, all isolates were Nocardia spp. Itraconazole was the main antifungal, whereas trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole was used for actinomycetoma. Surgery was performed in 66% of patients. At a median follow-up of 21 months (IQR 7.5-46.0), 54% achieved cure, 24% improved, 10% recurrence, and 3% required amputation. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Mycetoma in southern Thailand is uncommon but clinically significant. Unlike classical endemic regions, eumycetoma predominated and was caused by diverse fungi rather than Madurella mycetomatis. Despite combined medical and surgical therapy, cure rates were modest and complications frequent. These findings highlight regional differences in epidemiology and underscore the need for strengthened diagnostics, access to effective therapy, and region-specific neglected tropical disease strategies in Southeast Asia.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.