DOI: 10.36347/sasjm.2015.v01i04.008

Pages: Page: 160-165

Dermatophytosis refers to superficial fungal infection of keratinized tissues, caused by dermatophytes. Although common, the precise size of the problem defies measurement. The present study was aimed to assess the clinicomycological profile of dermatophytosis, to identify the various infecting dermatophyte species and to compare clinical diagnosis with KOH microscopy and culture. A total of 300 clinically diagnosed cases of dermatophytosis were subjected to KOH microscopy and fungal culture. Most common clinical presentation observed was Tinea corporis (42%) followed by Tinea cruris (28%). Mixed clinical type was observed in 3.3% of the patients. Including mixed clinical types, a total of 310 clinical types were encountered. Out of 310 clinical types, 225 (72.6%) were positive on KOH microscopy and 208 (67%) were positive on culture. Young males in the age group of 21 to 30 years were most commonly affected. Trichophyton rubrum (59.6%) was the most common fungal isolate followed by T. mentagrophytes (26%) and E. floccosum (10.6%). Dermatophytosis is not uncommon in our setup. Early diagnosis is essential to prevent transmission of infection. Identification up to species level is necessary for epidemiological purpose and some dermatophytes are resistant to azole derivatives.