Study of onychomycosis.

We undertook this microbiological study of onychomycosis with the aim of determining the prevalence of the various causative agents of onychomycosis in our population. From Jan 1999 to Dec 2001, nail clippings or scrapings were collected from 100 patients clinically suspected of having onychomycosis. They were processed in the Department of Microbiology, Bowring and L. C. Hospital, Bangalore and were studied for the presence of fungi. The nail clippings or scrapings were incubated in 40% potassium hydroxide for 30 minutes and microscopic examination was done for the presence of fungal elements. Culture was done on Sabouraud’s dextrose agar. The isolates were identified by standard techniques. The criteria used to report the moulds as pathogens were direct microscopy positive and isolation of the same fungi in three consecutive samples at intervals of 7 days. Among the 100 patients, 51 were males and 49 were females. The mean age of the study group was 32.22 (±17.64 SD) years. Table 1 shows the sex distribution and the nails involved. Toe nail infection (78.43%) was commoner in males, while finger nail infection was commoner in females (85.71%) as most affected females were housewives who immersed their hands frequently in water. Two of the male patients with toe nail onychomycosis had HIV infection and three had diabetes mellitus.