title: Study of the distribution of Malassezia species in patients with pityriasis versicolor and healthy individuals in Tertiary Care Hospital, Punjab.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Pityriasis versicolor (PV) is a chronic superficial fungal disease caused by Malassezia species. Our aim was to identify Malassezia species from PV patients and healthy individuals in Punjab.
  
  
  METHODS
  Modified Dixon agar was used as isolation culture medium. Identification was based on morphological observation and biochemical evaluation. The biochemical evaluation consisted of culture onto Sabouraud dextrose agar, catalase reaction, Tween assimilation, Cremophor EL assimilation, splitting of esculin and growth at 38 0 C.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 58 microscopically diagnosed cases of PV, growth was obtained from 54 (93.10%) cases. The most frequently isolated species were M. globosa, M. sympodialis and M. furfur which made up 51.79%, 31.42% and 18.51% of the isolated etiological agents respectively. However, the major isolate from the back of healthy individuals was M. sympodialis (47.61%), followed by M. obtusa (19.04%), M. globosa (14.20%), M. furfur (9.52%), M. pachydermatis (4.76%) and M. slooffiae (4.76%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  M. globosa in its mycelial phase was the main etiological agent, but as normal flora from the back of healthy subjects, it was found in significantly less number (P = 0.01), suggesting that the higher pathogenicity of M. globosa in terms of enzymatic endowment, might be the cause of its predominance in PV lesions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Giansagar Medical College, Ramnagar, Patiala, Punjab, India.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaur
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Narang
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bala
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gupte
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Aggarwal
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Manhas
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008290:Malassezia / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016533:Mycological Typing Techniques; D015995:Prevalence; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers; D014010:Tinea Versicolor / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D055815:Young Adult