CLINICOMYCOLOGICAL CORRELATION OF DERMATOPHYTOSIS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Background: Dermatophytosis is a common widespread fungal infection. In India, it poses a significant public health challenge. In Southern Rajasthan, there is scarcity of research on its clinical and fungal patterns, so we conducted a study to investigate the clinicomycological profiles of patients, focusing on socioeconomic and environmental factors. Aims: To correlate clinical diagnoses of dermatophytosis with potassium hydroxide (KOH) mount and fungal culture positivity. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Ananta Institute of Medical Sciences, Rajsamand, including 128 patients with suspected dermatophytosis. We gathered demographic, clinical, and lab data (KOH mounts and fungal cultures grown on Sabouraud’s Dextrose Agar). Chi-square and Spearman correlation tests were used to analyze the results. Results: Among the 128 patients, 54% were male, and 41% were aged 31–45 years. KOH tests were positive in 62.5% (80 patients), while fungal cultures came positive in 54.7% (70 patients). Trichophyton rubrum (31%) and T. mentagrophytes (20%) were the most common fungal species. Strong links were found between clinical diagnoses and lab results (Chi-square: p < 0.000013 for KOH, p < 0.000041 for culture; Spearman: r = 0.861 for KOH, r = 0.799 for culture). Limitations: The study was limited by single centre design and cross sectional nature Conclusion: Strong clinicomycological correlation highlights the need for both approaches to accurately diagnose and treat dermatophytosis effectively.