Profile of Dermatophytic and Other Fungal Infections in Jaipur

Abstract

The common cause of skin infections are dermatophytes and opportunistic fungi. Aim of present study is to find predominant etiological agent of dermatophytoses and to isolate various fungal agents from clinical samples of patients with different mycoses and Clinical samples from 260 patients were subjected to potassium hydroxide (KOH) examination and culture isolation; causative agents were identified macroscopically and microscopically. One hundred sixty three (62.7%) were found to be positive by KOH examination while 132 (50.8%) were culture positive. Dermatophytes were isolated in 90/140 (64.3%) specimens. Trichophyton rubrum (75.5%) was the commonest isolate among the patients suffering from dermatophytoses. Candida spp. and Malassezia furfur were isolated from patient suffering from candidiasis and pityriasis versicolor.Keywords Dermatophytoses Á Dermatophytes Á Opportunistic fungi Infectious diseases, particularly those involving the skin and mucosal surfaces, are a serious problem all over the world due to deficient sanitation and education. An important group of these skin pathogens are fungi [1].Recently there has been an increase in the incidence of fungal infections. This increase may be a result of frequent usage of antibiotics, immunosuppressive drugs and various conditions like organ transplantations, lymphomas, leukemia and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections [2]. Superficial mycoses refers to the disease of the skin and its appendages caused by fungi. This group includes Dermatophytoses, Pityriasis versicolor and Candidiasis. They possess the affinity for parasitising keratin rich tissues and produce dermal inflammatory response and cause redness, intense itching and burning in addition to a cosmetically poor appearance [3]. Candidiasis encompasses infections that range from superficial, such as oral thrush and vaginitis, to systemic and potentially life-threatening diseases. Candida infections of the latter category are also referred to as candidemia and are usually confined to severely immunocompromised persons, such as cancer, transplant, and AIDS patients [4]. Superficial infections of skin and mucosal membranes by Candida causing local inflammation and discomfort are common in many human populations [5]. Jaipur has got a dry climate but in the summer, the temperature exceeds even 44°C with high humidity during the monsoon season. These climatic conditions favour the occurrence of fungal infection so the present report describes the occurrence of dermatophytic and other fungal infections in Sitapura and Sanganer rural population of Jaipur among the patients attending the O.P.D, Department of Dermatology, E.S.I.C hospital, Jaipur. Materials and MethodsTwo hundred and sixty clinically suspected cases of dermatophytoses and other fungal diseases, attending the 123Indian J Microbiol (Apr-June 2012) 52(2):270-274 DOI 10.1007/s12088-011-0217-z dermatology O.P.D of E.S.I.C. hospital, Jaipur during the period 2008-2009 were included in this study. Samples were collected from patie...

Mycotic Skin Infections: Study of Clinico-Etiological Pattern and Socio-Economic Profile in Garhwal Region of Uttarakhand

“…Five (22.72%) out of 22 bacterial contaminants were isolated from diabetic patients [ Table 4]. Figure 3] is greater than most other studies but is comparable to studies carried in Shimla, [9,[11][12][13][14][15][16][17] Central India and Rajasthan. [18][19][20][21][22] This high Male: Female ratio may be because females in rural area avoid visiting health facilities until their condition begins affecting their work and home made remedies have failed to provide relief.…”

Spectrum of Fungal Isolates in Different Clinical Samples

“…For obvious reasons of keratinophilic nature of the dermatophyte they predominate in keratinised tissues. 15 Corneal scrapings showed filamentous fungi (25%) belonging to Aspergillus, Penicillium, Fusarium spp. as major isolates, as also described by Thomas PA. Yeasts were only isolated in 7% of the corneal specimens.…”

A Clinico-Mycological Study of Human Dermatophytosis in Chitradurga, Krnataka, India

“…The epidemiology of dermatophytosis has substantially changed over the last few years [12] . Migration, climatic factors, increased tourism, changes in socioeconomic status, overcrowding, healthcare, environmental cleanliness, personnel hygiene, contact with domestic animals, the age of population and culture may influence the epidemiology of dermatophytoses [14] .…”

“…Various studies have been conducted on epidemiology of human dermatophytosis in different parts of this country. Sharma (2012) conducted his study on epidemiology of human dermatophytosis in Jaipur, Balakumar et al, (2012) in Truchirapalli, Tamilnadu, Doddamani et al, (2013) in Gulberga, Karnataka etc., [12,9,13] .…”