Dermatophytes are filamentous keratinophilic fungi which affect nails, skin, and hair. Their variable distribution in the world justifies local epidemiological studies. During recent decades, few studies have been published regarding the epidemiology and etiology of dermatophytosis in Romania. The aim of this study was to identify the dermatophytes isolated from superficial fungal infections. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first such study conducted in the area of North-Western Romania. Over the past four years, samples collected from outpatients with suggestive lesions for dermatophytoses (nails, skin, hair), who addressed several private practice dermatologists from Cluj-Napoca, Romania, were sent to a specialized laboratory and examined by microscopy and culture. A total of 350 samples from 322 patients were examined. One hundred samples (28.6%) collected from 90 patients (27.9%) were positive by direct microscopy and/or culture. Among the 63 positive cultures (18%), 44 dermatophytes (69.8%), 2 molds (3.2%), and 17 yeasts (27%) were isolated. The main dermatophyte species identified were Trichophyton rubrum (mostly from onychomycosis) and Microsporum canis (from tinea capitis and tinea corporis in children). Yeasts (Candida species) were isolated from nails, especially from women.
Keywords: dermatophytes; dermatophytosis; diagnosis; epidemiology; molds; yeasts.