Introduction:

Superficial mycoses are fungal infections caused mainly by dermatophytes, yeasts and non-dermatophyte filamentous fungi, which affect the most superficial layers of the skin and its appendages. They have a high prevalence worldwide.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the epidemiology of superficial mycoses, as well as the index of agreement between direct mycological examination and fungal culture.

Methods:

This is a retrospective study carried out at the Dermatology clinic of a tertiary hospital, during 6 years. For diagnostic elucidation, material was collected by scraping or curettage, for further analysis by direct mycological examination and culture for fungi.

Results:

Four hundred thirty nine samples of suspicious lesions of superficial mycoses from 420 patients were included, 268 female (63.8% patients) with a mean age of 45.7 years (3 months to 95 years), with most cases from the nails (43.4%) and glabrous skin (24.1%). In general, the most common fungus found in the culture was Trichophyton rubrum, however, not in all studied skin sites. Direct mycological examination showed a statistically significant association with culture (K=0.955), if cases with contamination on culture were eliminated.

Conclusion:

Direct mycological examination and culture, as diagnostic methods in Dermatology, provide satisfactory and low-cost results, favoring patients and the health system. This study allowed us to describe the epidemiological profile of patients at a reference dermatology center, with relevant data in relation to our objective. Agreement between direct mycological examination and culture showed the reliability of the methods.

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