Prevalence of Superficial and Cutaneous Mycoses of Neyshabur City during Five Years, a Retrospective Study

The superficial and cutaneous mycoses remain the major causes of infections that affect the skin, hair and nails. Due to environment pollution and lack of hygiene principles in deprived areas, the fungal infections are more prevalent. Hence, a retrospective study was performed to determine the prevalence of superficial and cutaneous fungal diseases in Neyshabur city.
This cross sectional study was performed between 2009-2014 and examined 1281 patients (627 (48.9%) male and 654 (51.1%) female) suspected to superficial and cutaneous mycoses. The diagnosis was performed by direct microscopic examination of wet mount with 15% KOH (potassium hydroxide) and methylene blue and Gram staining, and then the data were analyzed by SPSS-16 software.
From the total of 1281 suspected patients, 196 (13%) were affected by superficial and cutaneous mycoses. The frequency of each of the diseases included: dermatophytosis 74.5% (146 cases), onychomycosis 12.2% (24 cases), tinea versicolor 8.8% (17 cases), erythrasma 3.5% (7 cases), superficial candidiasis 1% (2 cases), respectively. In addition, the age range of 31-40 years (21.4%) had the highest prevalence.
This study showed the superficial and cutaneous mycoses particularly dermatophytosis (ringworm) is very popular in this area. The disease was more frequent in late May to late August and early September to late November. Therefore, epidemiological studies and exact diagnosis of skin mycoses may guide us to prevent and treat them effectively.