Epidemiology of Otomycosis at the Military Hospital Avicenne of Marrakech (Morocco)

Abstract

Otomycosis is a fungal infection mainly affecting the outer ear, but can spread to the in nerear and become severe. The disease can cause a serious damage for its recurrence and resistance to treatment. The purpose of this work is to determine the prevalence of otomycosis in first place, then in second place to specify the contributing factors and to describe the spectrum of fungi involved. We conducted a prospective study over a period of 6 months between March 2018 and August 2018 in laboratory of parasitology and mycology at the Military Hospital Avicenna of Marrakech. Fore ach patient we performed an atrial sampling with sterile swabs. A direct examination and culture on Sabouraud-Chloramphenicol media with and without cycloheximide were carried out. The identification of fungi was based on the macroscopic, microscopic and phenotypic characteristics of colonies. Our study included 67 patients, of which 28 were positive, giving an overall prevalence of 41% with female predominance. The average age of our patients was 40 years old. Many factors enhanced the otomycosis, the daily cleaning of the external ear canal was the most recurrent factor (46%), followed by frequent bathing (35%). The most common species were Aspergillus niger (46%), Aspergillus flavus (35%), and Candida albicans (17%). This study demonstrates the importance of otomycosis in the etiologies of otitis in our population. The management of these infections must include a mycological study in order to establish an antifungal therapy adapted to the pathogen.