RESUMEN
To find out frequency of dermatophytosis in Karachi and correlation between clinical types and strain isolated. This prospective study was conducted in the Department of Microbiology, Basic Medical Sciences Institute, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi from September 2000 to August, 2001.Three hundreds seventy-three patients having skin, hair and nail infection [clinically suspected cases of dermatophytosis] were examined. The skin scraping, hair plucking and nail clipping were taken and subjected to direct microscopy and culture on mycobiotic agar [Difco] for isolation of dermatophytes. Various special media were used for species identification. Dermatophytosis was predominantly found among adults 246 [66.8%] population. Most common clinical pattern was of tinea corporis [26.9], followed by tinea cruris [25.8],tinea unguium [19.3], tinea capitis [17.4], tinea pedis [7.9], tinea faciei [4.6] tinea manuum [2.2] and tinea barbae [0.8] respectively. Tinea cruris was significantly found more in males 83 [36.9%] than females 12 [8.4%] [P<0.001]. Species of dermatophytes were recovered from 184 cases, out of which 95 [51.6%] strains of Trichophyton rubrum, 43 [23.4%] strains of Trichophyton violaceum, 25 [13.7%] strains of Epidermophyton floccosum,15 [8.2%] strains of Trichophyton mentagrophytes and 06 [3.2%] strains of Trichophyton tonsurans respectively. Trichophyton rubrum was found to be commonest etiological agent in different clinical types. Dermatophytosis is found to be more common in adult population. Tinea cruris being more common in miles while tinea corporis and tinea unguium relatively common in females Trichophyton rubrum was found to be commonest etiological agent in different clinical types