Dermatophyte and non dermatophyte fungi in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia.
BACKGROUND
Dermatophytes are a scientific label for a group of three genera (Microsporum, Epidermophyton and Trichophyton) of fungus that causes skin disease in animals and humans. Conventional methods for identification of these fungi are rapid and simple but are not accurate comparing to molecular methods.


OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to isolate human pathogenic dermatophytes which cause dermatophytosis in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia and to identify these fungi by using conventional and molecular methods.


METHODS
The study was conducted in Medical Complex, Riyadh and King Saud University. Samples of infected skin, hairs and nails were collected from 112 patients. Diagnosis of skin infections, direct microscopic test, isolation and identification of dermatophytes by conventional and molecular methods were carried out.


RESULTS
The results indicated that the tinea capitis infection had the highest prevalence among the patients (22.3%) while Tinea barbae had the lowest. In this study the identified dermatophyte isolates belong to nine species as Trichophyton violaceum, Trichophyton verrucosum, Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Trichophyton schoenleinii, Trichophyton concentricum, Microsporum canis, Microsporum audouinii and Epidermophyton floccosum which cause skin infections were isolated during this study. Non dermatophyte isolates included 5 isolates from Aspergillus spp. 4 isolates from Acremonium potronii and 15 isolates from Candida spp. M. canis were the most common species (25% of isolated dermatophytes). Out of the 52 dermatophyte isolates identified by conventional methods, there were 45 isolates identified by the molecular method.


CONCLUSIONS
The results concluded that approximately M. canis caused a quarter of dermatophyte cases, tinea capitis infection was prevalent and the molecular method was more accurate than conventional methods.
Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia ; Department of Biotechnology and Food Technology, Thamar University, Yemen.
Jamal M
JM
Khaled
Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Thamar University, Yemen.
Hammed A
HA
Golah
Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Abdulla S
AS
Khalel
Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Naiyf S
NS
Alharbi
Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Ramzi A
RA
Mothana
Dermatophytes; Epidermophyton; Microsporum; Tinea; Trichophyton