Mycoflora of the Interdigital Spaces Among Girl Students in Ahvaz, Iran

BACKGROUND: Fungi have been extensively isolated and investigated from skin in various parts of the world. Determining the mycoflora of normal people is important when the role of skin is considered as a reservoir for microorganisms. OBJECTIVES: The current study aimed to investigate the incidence of fungal flora on interdigital spaces of the human foot. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Samples were collected from interdigital spaces of 865 girl students who lived in the dormitories of Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences. A part of the sample was digested with 20% KOH and screened by a light microscope for fungal elements. Another part of the sample was cultured on Sabouraud glucose agar (SGA) and SGA containing 0.05 mg/mL chloramphenicol and 0.5 mg/mL cycloheximide. The fungal colonies were identified based on morphological and microscopic characteristics and biochemical tests. RESULTS: In the current study, out of the 865 samples, 616 (71. 2%) were positive in direct examination or culture. Of these, 267 samples (30. 9%) were positive in direct examination. The most common fungal isolates in direct test were yeast (29. 4%), followed by conidia (0. 92%), melanised hypha (0. 35%) and non-septated hyphae (0. 23%). Trichophyton mentagrophytes was isolated in one of the specimens. CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrated the incidence of fungal flora on interdigital spaces of human foot. The current study results showed that fungi can survive on surfaces of skin without showing the sign of infection.