Epidemiology of dermatophyte infection. Comparison of clinical and mycological findings.

Document Type

Article

Department

Medicine

Abstract

ermatophytes constitute a group of well recognized superficial fungal infections which are very common and are on the increase due to factors such as immuno-suppressed host status, excessive misuse of systemic/local corticosteroids, environmental pollution, and poor hygienic conditions specially in the under developed world. To date we still do not have any biochemical or serological set up for species identification. The aim of this study was to diagnose cases with dermatophyte infections clinically and compare the clinical findings with mycological investigative procedures such as direct microscopic examination and growth on specific culture mediums to gain a proper view of the incidence of the various types of the dermatophyte infections. This case controlled prospective study was carried out for a period of one year from July 2001 until August 2002 in Mayo Hospital Lahore, Pakistan. Patients with suspected fungal infections were referred mostly from dermatology and various other units of the hospital. The material used for the study was scraping of skin, hair and nail clippings, which were examined directly with 20% potassium hydroxide (KOH) solution and used for culture medium inoculation. Commercially available Sabouraud dextrose agar (Difco) manufactured by Upjohn Co., Kalamazoo, Michigan was used. The medium alone and with antibiotic was used. The dermatophyte test medium (DTM) used was from DIFCO laboratories, Detroit, Michigan. Samples from each patient were inoculated on 2 Petri dishes of Sabouraud's media, one with and another without antibiotic and incubated at 22-28°C. Samples inoculated in DTM bottles were incubated at room temperature. The growth in the control and experimental plates were rated daily for 21 days. False positive results were carefully omitted. During this study 270 cases suspected of fungal infections were studied. Out of these, 220 were positive for fungus by direct microscopy in KOH. Of these 220 cases 191 (87%) gave a growth on culture also. Scrapings from 50 cases that had shown negative results on KOH direct examination, 6 (12%) grew on culture media. Hence out of the total 270 clinically suspected cases, 197 (72.9%) cases were positive for culture growth. Incidence of D Brief Communication Tinea corporis was highest (31.5%), followed by Tinea capitis (19.6%), and Tinea cruris et corporis (19.3%). The incidence of Tinea unguium and Tinea pedis was (7%), followed by Tinea barbae (1.5%). Tinea corporis was mostly seen in the age group 16-30 years, while Tinea capitis was seen in the age group 0-15 years. Tinea pedis …

Publication (Name of Journal)

Saudi medical journal.

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