Species Distribution and Antifungal Susceptibility Profile of Dermatophytes from a Tertiary Care Centre in North India

Abstract Objective  Dermatophytoses, one of the most ancient diseases, is becoming a menace in recent times. This has made the knowledge of antifungal susceptibility a priority in today's times. Material and Methods  This is a prospective study conducted over 18 months including all dermatophytes isolated during the period. Dermatophytes were identified by routine phenotypic methods. Antifungal susceptibility testing was performed for griseofulvin, terbinafine, and itraconazole as per the Clinical Laboratory Standard Institute M38 A2, and minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were read after 5 days. Results  Patient details and associated risk factors were recorded. Fixed dose combinations with steroids were associated with 79.3% (46 out of 58) of patients with dermatophytosis of skin. Among the 72 dermatophytes isolated during the study period, 58 (80.5%) were isolated from skin scrapings and 14 (19.4%) from nail samples. Tinea corporis with cruris was the most common presentation. The most common dermatophyte isolated from skin scrapings was Trichophyton mentagrophytes complex (70.6%, 41 out of 58), while from nail samples it was Trichophyton rubrum complex (78.57%, 11 out of 14). Based on the MIC 50 and MIC 90 results, itraconazole showed the lowest MICs, followed by terbinafine and then griseofulvin. Conclusion  With the changing epidemiology of species distribution and antifungal resistance, there is a need for continuous surveillance of these parameters of dermatophytes.