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Introduction: Pityriasis Versicolor (PV) a commonly encountered superficial mycosis is a mild, chronic infection of the stratum corneum. Malassezia species are lipid dependent yeast that are commonly found on human skin and associated with PV and dandruff. Aim: To study the distribution of Malassezia species in cases of PV and Dandruff. Materials and Methods: A tertiary care rural hospital based cross-sectional study was undertaken. Skin scrapings were collected and cultured on Sabouraud’s Dextrose Agar (SDA) overlaid with olive oil and modified Dixon agar (mDA). The isolates were identified by biochemical tests. Data was analysed using the Chi-square test. The p-value of

Introduction: Pityriasis Versicolor (PV) a commonly encountered superficial mycosis is a mild, chronic infection of the stratum corneum. Malassezia species are lipid dependent yeast that are commonly found on human skin and associated with PV and dandruff. Aim: To study the distribution of Malassezia species in cases of PV and Dandruff. Materials and Methods: A tertiary care rural hospital based cross-sectional study was undertaken. Skin scrapings were collected and cultured on Sabouraud's Dextrose Agar (SDA) overlaid with olive oil and modified Dixon agar (mDA). The isolates were identified by biochemical tests. Data was analysed using the Chi-square test. The p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Out of the 127 samples of PV, 38.2% were 10% KOH positive. A total of 76 yielded growth. The most common isolate was M.sympodialis (53.06%), followed by M.furfur (26.53%), M.globosa (16.33%) and M.slooffiae (4.08%). Of the 51 cases of dandruff cases, 27 samples yielded growth and the most common isolate was M.sympodialis (62.96%), followed by M.furfur (25.93%), M.globosa (11.11%). Conclusion: PV and dandruff are the common surface infections in this rural region and Malassezia sympodialis is the commonest species associated with these conditions [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Dermatophytosis is one of the most common health problems worldwide, with greater incidence in tropical and subtropical countries, most often in males. Athletes are constantly predisposed to suffering from fungal infections due to the variability of individual and environmental conditions. The objective was to determine the prevalence of etiological agents causing superficial mycosis in athletes from the School of Educational Sciences at the University of Carabobo. The sample was represented by 71 athletes from different disciplines that had lesions suspected of being surface mycosis on skin and nails; a direct examination was made with KOH, adhesive tape and cultivation on Lactrimel agar. The obtained isolates were examined directly with lactophenol blue and microculture to identify the etiologic agent. It was found that 63.4% of the athletes had lesions by dermatophytes, identifying the species T. rubrum (23.9%), T. mentagrophytes (19.7%) and E. floccosum (19.7%); in 36.6% of lesions, the yeast Malassezia furfur (29.6%) and Malassezia ovalis (7.1%) were identified; males were the most affected. The findings are relevant because these agents take advantage of adverse conditions to colonize and cause lesions that could decrease athletic performance. Resumen: Las dermatofitosis constituyen uno de los problemas de salud más frecuente a nivel mundial, con mayor incidencia en países tropicales y subtropicales, más frecuentemente en el sexo masculino. Los atletas están en constante predisposición a sufrir de infecciones micóticas por la variabilidad de las condiciones individuales, así como ambientales. El objetivo fue determinar la prevalencia de los agentes etiológicos causantes de micosis superficiales en los atletas de la Facultad de Ciencias de la Educación de la Universidad de Carabobo. La muestra estuvo representada por 71 atletas de diferentes disciplinas que presentaban lesiones sospechosas de micosis superficiales en piel y uñas, realizándoles un examen directo con KOH, Cinta adhesiva, cultivo en Agar Lactrimel. Los aislados obtenidos se les practicó un examen directo con azul de lactofenol y microcultivo para identificar el agente etiológico. Se encontró en los atletas 63,4% de lesiones por dermatofitos identificando las especies T. rubrum (23,9%), T. mentagrophytes (19,7%) y E. floccosum (19,7%) y 36,6% de lesiones por levaduras identificando Malassezia furfur (29,6%) y Malassezia ovalis (7,1%) siendo el sexo masculino el más afectado. Estos hallazgos son relevantes debido a que estos agentes se aprovechan de condiciones desfavorables para colonizar y ocasionar lesiones que pudiesen disminuir el rendimiento deportivo del atleta.