Onychomychosis, a nail fungus infection is the most frequent nail ailment,
constituting about half of all nail disorders. It can be caused by
dermatophytes, non-dermatophytes, yeasts and Prothoteca spp.
Methods include 5407 samples of patients with suspected onychomycosis, studied
from January 2002 to December 2006, by direct mycological examination and fungi
culture. The diagnosis of onychomycosis was confirmed in samples from 3822
direct mycological and/or culture positive. The diagnosis was established by
culture for fungi. Among the 1.428 identified agents, the dermatophytes were
responsible for 68.6% (N = 980) of cases, followed by yeasts with 27.6% (N =
394), non-dermatophytes fungi with 2.2% (N = 31), Prothoteca
spp with 0.1% (N = 2), and associations with 1.5% (N = 22). Females were more
affected, with 66% (N = 2527) of cases, and the most affected age group ranged
from 31 to 60 years of age (median 47 years). Fungal microbiota is often changed
in the world, both quantitatively and qualitatively, and is affected by several
environmental factors. Thus, the periodic review of the composition of this
microbiota is important to evaluate the epidemiology and thus proportion a
better therapeutic response.