Prevalence of keratinophilic fungi in the garden soil samples in Western India and study of its clinical impact

Abstract

Background: Dermatophytosis has been a common contagious disease and remain an important public health problem among people worldwide and particularly in developing countries. This study was done in order to know prevalence of keratinophilic fungi in the soil samples of Ajmer region and its clinical correlation. Materials and Methods: Five samples (5gm each) of garden soil were collected from each of the randomly selected 10 sites of Ajmer region in sterile polythene bags & pH of soil was recorded. All samples were processed in the laboratory using hair bait technique and incubated at 28 + 2•C for 3-4 weeks. Fungi grown were subcultured onto Sabourauds Dextrose Agar (SDA) with chloramphenicol & SDA with cycloheximide and identified using standard mycological procedures. Results: Out of 50 soil samples cultured 28 (56%) samples were positive for keratinophilic fungi. 64.28% were dermatophytes and 12.8% were non-dermatophytic fungi. The predominant isolate among dermatophytes was Trichophyton spp. (64.28%) where as Aspergillus spp. (12.8%) was the commonest non-dermatophyte. Conclusion:In our hospital, dermatophytic infection including Tinea corporis is one of the most common clinical presentations of skin infection. Trichophyton spp. is commonest causative agent of Tinea corporis. Interestingly Trichophyton spp. was the most commonly isolated dermatophyte in our study suggesting soil as a source of dermatophytic infections.