title: Aetiology of onychomycosis in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates.
abstract: A 1-year study was conducted on 151 patients with finger- or toenail disease attending a dermatology clinic in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. Nail scrapings and or clippings were collected and investigated with a KOH preparation for direct microscopy and cultured for fungi. Eighty-nine (59%) patients were females. Most females (62%) presented with fingernail disease while in men the toenails were involved in 76%. Fungi were isolated in 78 (52%) of all cases and the fingernails were more commonly positive than toenails. Of the 78 isolates, 49 (63%) were yeasts, including eight Candida species, dermatophytes accounted for 22 (28%) and seven (9%) were other moulds. Non-dermatophyte moulds constituted 20% of male isolates but only 4% of female isolates. Eighty-one per cent of Candida species were from fingernails, while 87% of all the dermatophytes were from toenails.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, United Arab Emirates.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nsanze
authors.forename: G G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Lestringant
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mustafa
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Usmani
mesh_terms: D002175:Candida / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002179:Candidiasis, Cutaneous / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D005533:Foot Dermatoses / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D006229:Hand Dermatoses / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009262:Nails / Q000382:microbiology; D014009:Onychomycosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D014479:United Arab Emirates