PREVALENCE OF DERMATOPHYTES IN SUPERFICIAL SKIN INFECTIONS IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL
Abstract
 Objective  To determine the prevalence of dermatophyte in superficial skin infection in a tertiary care hospital. Methods  It was a cross sectional study and conducted in the Department of Microbiology, BMSI, JPMC, Karachi, in collaboration with the dermatology department. Total 310 skin samples were collected. Samples were processed for primary screening test potassium hydroxide solution wet mount. Sabouraud's dextrose agar with (cycloheximide and chloramphenicol) & without antibiotics and dermatophyte test media were used for culture. Results Data was analyzed using SPSS version 22. Out of the 310 skin samples, 79 (31.29%) were positive for the dermatophytes. In this study, dermatophytes were most common group of fungi responsible for superficial skin infection in the said tertiary care Hospital. About 23(7.4%) were non-dermatophytes. A total of 78(25.16%) accounted for yeast and 8(2.5%) were found to be mixed growth. Tinea capitis was found to be the most prevalent clinical type followed by tinea corporis and tinea ungium, respectively. Conclusion  This study reveals that children are most commonly affected and followed by the age group of 21-30 year. Tinea capitis is the most prevalent skin infection in the studied population. The known prevalence of dermatophytes (31.29%) in superficial skin infections should be considered an important factor when determining the causative factors of skin diseases. In addition to this, the derived results can be taken as a base for probing further in the topic. This will help in adopting a more targeted approach towards treating the superficial skin infections. ÂReferences
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