Prevalence of Fungal Infection in Diabetic Foot Ulcer

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: In a diabetic foot ulcer, superficial fungal infection of the foot may disrupt the skin integrity and provide an avenue for bacterial infection. The prevalence of fungal infection in diabetic foot ulcer has been reported as 12-30% in Caucasian patients. However, no data are available for Korean patients. The purpose of the study was to examine the prevalence of fungal infection in diabetic foot patients admitted in our clinic. METHODS: This study included consecutive 30 diabetic foot ulcer patients(24 males and 6 females) admitted from May 2007 to July 2007. The mean age was 60.5 years. All patients underwent mycological examination including direct microscopic examination in KOH and culturing on slants and tubes with Sabouraud's glucose agar. RESULTS: Clinical signs of presumed fungal infection, which were examined by dermatologists, were found in all patients included in this study. Direct microscopic examination was positive for the specimens of the skin and the toenails in 28(93.3%) and 25(83.3%) patients, respectively. In addition, culture result was positive for the specimens of the skin and the toenails in 5(16.73%) and 7(23.3%) patients, respectively. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of fungal infection in diabetic foot ulcer patients admitted in our clinic is much higher than that in Caucasian patients(83.3-93.3% vs 12-30%).