RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Malassezia yeasts are normal skin flora of humans. But skin colonization appear to be controversial during neonate. OBJECTIVE: We prospectively studied the distribution of Malassezia yeasts on clinically normal skin of neonates and infants for providing the basic data for proving the relationship of Malassezia yeasts and pathogenesis of the diseases of neonates and infants. METHODS: A total of 200 subjects were studied using the direct smear test with 20% Parker ink/KOH solution. The numbers of the Malassezia yeasts per high power field were counted according to a bacterial index of lepra bacilli in patients of leprosy. In order to identify risk factors for the distribution of Malassezia yeasts, we compared sex, mode of delivery, gestational age, birthweight during the first week of life by statistical method of the logistic regression. RESULTS: Of the 200 neonates and infants under 12 weeks, 121 (60.5%) revealed Malassezia yeasts in at least a part of five examined sites. The prevalence of Malassezia yeasts was increased according to the age. No association was found between the incidence of Malassezia yeasts and sex, mode of delivery, gestational age, birth weight. CONCLUSION: We conclude that Malassezia yeasts colonize on the skin of neonates and infants.