High prevalence of HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa is responsible for very high burden mycotic infections. Also, most the countries here have highly burdened health system compared to their budget. Onychomycosis a chronic fungal infection fingers and toenails. It usually caused by dermatophytes, yeasts, non-dermatophyte molds (NDM). Prevalence severity more immunosuppressed individuals, especial...

Dermatophytes are keratinolytic fungi responsible for a wide variety of diseases of glabrous skin, nails, and hair. Their identification, currently based on morphological criteria, is hindered by intraspecies morphological variability and the atypical morphology of some clinical isolates. The aim of this study was to evaluate matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spect...

This study examined the frequency of dermatophytoses in the Primorsko-Goranska County, a north-western part of Croatia, over a period of 21 years (1988-2008). All fungal samples were microscopically examined with 20% potassium hydroxide (KOH) solution. Fungal infections were confirmed in 26.9% cases. Out of these, dermatophytes were isolated in 38.3%, Candida spp. infection in 55.1% cases, whil...

Although not life-threatening, onychomycosis (a fungal infection of the nail, usually caused by a dermatophyte) constitutes an important public health problem because of its high prevalence (about 10% of the U.S. population) and associated morbidity. The disease can have certain negative consequences for patients, such as pain, and can potentially undermine work and social lives. This review di...

The conventional identification of dermatophytes requires a long turnaround time and highly skilled mycologists. We have recently developed a tandardized matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) assay to routinely identify molds of potential clinical significance. This study objective was to determine if this same assay could also be employed t...

A total of 134 clinical samples such as hair plucks and skin scrapings were collected from dogs with cutaneous lesions of alopecia, hyperpigmentation, and scales. A part of clinical material was directly examined under microscope after digestion with 10% potassium hydroxide. The remaining material was cultured in Sabouraud‘s Dextrose agar to study the presence of fungi based on the colony morph...

Since the early 20th century, onychomycosis originated with the onset of war, the use of occlusive footwear, and the mass migration of people by transportation in the United States. Even though onychomycosis has a high prevalence in the US, other parts of the world including Canada, West Africa, Southeast Asia, Northern Australia, and Europe have been well documented with cases of fungal toenai...

Pet dogs have been considered to be involved in the contamination of indoor air by serving as a source of providing molds at houses. Currently, information on the molds originated from pet dogs is rarely available in Korea. The present study was carried out to obtain basic information on the fungi present on pet dogs. For this, fungal isolation was performed to the skin and hairs of 70 pet dogs...

Cutaneous fungal infections remain a clinical problem. Among fungi, dermatophyte molds are the major cause of various type of Tinea. These infections are still difficult to manage and some of the antifungal agent are poorly tolerated or have been associated with emergence of resistance. The traditional methods, especially the use of medicinal plants place an imperative role to cover the basic h...