RESUMO
In a retrospective review of laboratory records at the Department of Mycology, National Institute of Microbiology [quot ]Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán[quot ], during the period June 1989-July 1991, 1225 putatively immunocompetent cases of superficial mycoses were identified. Ninety five percent of these patients were adults and 5
children. Among the total cases, dermatomycoses were caused, 67.6
by Malassezia furfur. and 0.5
by other fungi, as proven by the isolation of the etiological agents. (Figure 1, Table 2). Among the dermatophytes Trichophyton rubrum and Trichophyton mentagrophytes greatly predominated accounting for 66.6
of the isolates, respectively, whereas Microsporum canis (8.0
) and Microsporum gypseum (0.3
) were found with less frequency (Figure 2). Nails (47
) were the most common source of isolates in adults, followed by feet (28
) and hands (2
) (Table 1). Regarding the relative efficiency of the diagnostic methods, the analyses of laboratory results evidenced that, 98
of the cases with clinical findings compatible with mycoses and 76
of the cases with positive cultures (Table 1) were identified by microscopic observation.