Fungi Causing Superficial Cutaneous Mycoses in the District of Cracow Part One: The Incidence of Dermatophytes

Summary: From January 1st 1972 to December 31st 1981 5363 patients living in Cracow and its environs were examined mycologically. Those patients were suspected of superficial cutaneous mycoses and were referred to the department of Mycology of the Institute of Microbiology (Medical Academy of Cracow). A total of 8545 samples were examined. 36% of the patients were males and 64% were females. Part one of the paper presents the spectrum of dermatophytes isolated from different regions of the skin, the nails and hair. In general, dermatophytes were cultured from 23% of the specimens. T. rubrum outnumbered T. mentagrophytes (13.7% and 8.87% respectively). Other species and genera of dermatophytes such as T. tonsurans, T. violaceum, T. verrucosum, E. floccosum and M. gypseum were found only sporadically. Dermatophytes were found most often in samples taken from the toe nails (39.6%) and the skin of the feet (38.9%), both in male patients. They were found extremely rarely in samples taken from the scalp and the beard (5.8%).