A Clinico-Mycological Study of Superficial Mycoses from a Tertiary Care Hospital of a North Indian Town

Introduction: Superficial mycoses refer to the diseases of skin and its appendages caused by fungi. Aims & Objectives: The present study was undertaken to find out the prevalence of different clinical types of Dermatomycoses including Dermatophytes, candida spp. and dermatomycotic mold infections of skin and its appendages and their etiological agents in and around Aligarh region of Northern India. Material and Methods: The study was conducted at the Department of Microbiology, JNMC,AMU, Aligarh, during the period of July 2011-July 2013. A total of 425 samples were collected including skin, nail and hair for a period of 5 years. Skin, nail scraping and clippings of infected hair from patients were collected. The samples were subjected to direct microscopy and culture. Results: Out of 425 samples, Dermatophytoses was manifested clinically more in the males between the age of 11-30 years. In our study, KOH positivity rate was 61.2% and culture positivity rate was 58.8%. 18.8% of samples were culture positive alone; while, 21.2% of specimens were positive on direct microscopy alone. Dermatophytoses was the commonest superficial fungal infection in 123 cases 28 (9.5%), followed by Dermatomycotic molds in 32 (7.2%) and candidiasis in 15 (3.5%). T.rubrum was the predominant pathogen followed by T. mentagrophytes. Conclusions: It is concluded that along with Dermatophytes, non-dermatophytic fungi are also emerging as an important cause of superficial mycoses.