Dermatophytosis: an Epidemiological And Clinical Comparative Study in a Tertiary Care Centre

Introduction: Dermatophytosis is a common superficial mycosis associated with significant morbidity. Dermatophytosis which are recurrent and clinically unresponsive to therapy are showing an alarming increase in the last few years. These patients are a potential source of infection to their family members and others closely associated with them. Our study aimed to investigate the risk factors, clinical patterns and causative dermatophyte species in patients with chronic/ recurrent dermatophytosis and patients with first episode of typical tinea. Material And Methods: The enrolled patients were categorized as group I consisting of 81 cases of chronic/ recurrent dermatophytosis and group II consisting of 81 cases of first episode dermatophytosis. After detailed history and thorough clinical examination, wet-mount preparation for direct microscopic examination was done along with fungal culture using Sabouraud’s dextrose agar. Results: In group I, T.mentagrophytes (51.7%) was the most common species isolated followed by T tonsurans (26.7%) and T rubrum(18.3%) while in group II, T tonsurans (43.3%) was the most common species isolated followed by T rubrum (28.4%)and T mentagrophytes(23.9%). Injudicious use of topical steroids, non-compliance with treatment and presence of dermatophyte infection among family members were the major risk factors with significant association with chronic/recurrent infections. Limitations: Lack of follow up of cases, antifungal susceptibility with clinical outcome and Immunological profile of the patients was not studied. Conclusion: Chronic and recurrent dermatophytosis are emerging as a major problem in dermatology practice. Injudicious use of topical steroid containing preparations, non-compliance, presence of intrafamilial infection are major factors for chronic and recurrent infections.