Abstract
Objectives: Dermatophyte infections have been considered to be a major public health
problem in many parts of the world. We investigated the epidemiology of fungal skin
infections through a retrospective analysis of patient’s medical records between 2014
and 2019.
Methods: A total of 24,484 patients clinically suspected of cutaneous fungal infections
were examined. Skin scales, plucked hairs, nail clippings and sub-ungual debris were
examined by direct microscopy and culture. Dermatophyte species were identified atthe
species level by a combination of morphological and physiological criteria.
Results: 13,386 (51.0%) of 24,484 participants were male and 12,843 (48.9%) were
females. The male to female ratio was 1:1,1. The mean (±SD) and the median age of the
participants were 23.5 (±0.12). Direct microscopy confirmed a combinated rate of 28.5%
(6,973/24,484 cases). Among the 1747 mycological suspects cases, 560 (32.1%) patients
had dermatophyte and yeast infections based on culture. Tinea corporis 2,420 (9.5%)
was the most prevalent type of dermatophytosis followed by tinea faciei 1,338 (5.5%),
tinea capitis 1,187 (4.9%), and tinea pedis 833 (3.4%). The percentage of positive cultures
most frequent isolated was Trichophyton 19 (1.1%), Microsporum canis 7(0.4%), Candida
albicans 518 (29.6%), Candida krusei 11(0.6%).
Keywords: Mongolia, Epidemiology, Dermatophyte, Yeast, Skin Infections
