Abstract

MESTRONI, Silvana Cecilia; ZULIANI, María Victoria  and  BAVA, Amadeo Javier. Diagnosis of skin, nails and hairs mycoses at the Hospital San Martín, La Plata. Acta bioquím. clín. latinoam. [online]. 2004, vol.38, n.1, pp.29-37. ISSN 0325-2957.

To evaluate the demand of mycological studies, the number of positive microscopic studies and cultures and the distribution of the etiologic agents of the mycoses that affect skin, hairs and nails, the results of 1.003 consecutive mycological studies processed in the laboratory from November 1998 to February 2003, were retrospectively analyzed. The samples obtained from nail lesions were the most frequently processed (60.41%), followed by those of trunk lesions (38.08%). Among the studied samples, 54.53% were positive microscopically for fungal structures and the cultured samples were 37.44% positive, 46.16% negative and 16.40% contaminated. Trichophyton rubrum was the fungal specie most frequently isolated (36.76%), followed by Candida sp. (24.11%). Malassezia was observed micros-copically in 47.36% of the lesions suspected of pityriasis versicolor. Trichophyton rubrum was predominant as etiological agent of toenails mycoses and in most of the skin lesions, Candida sp. predominated in fingernails and Malassezia sp. in trunk lesions. The demand of the evaluated mycological studies, the percentage of positive microscopic studies and cultures, and the distribution of the etiological agents of the studied mycoses do not show important differences with other similar studies and with the traditional patterns.

Keywords : Medical mycology; Mycological diagnosis.; Superficial mycoses.; Dermatophytes.

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