PREVALENCE OF MYCOTIC INFECTIONS IN A TERTIARY CARE CENTER IN HADOTI REGION OF SOUTHEASTERN RAJASTHAN: A RETROSPECTIVE 3 YEAR ANALYSIS

Abstract

Back ground: Fungal infections are on a rise in recent years and they are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in
immunocompromised and hospitalized patients. Patients with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, organ transplant, use of
invasive devices and broad spectrum antimicrobial agents are common risk factors. Objective: A retrospective analysis
for a period of three years was undertaken to know the prevalence of common fungal infections in a tertiary care hospital
in Hadoti Region of Southeastern Rajasthan. Materials And Methods: Clinical samples were collected from patients
presenting with suspected fungal infections and were processed in microbiology laboratory Government Medical
College Kota, Rajasthan, India. Direct microscopy was done with 10% KOH to visualize the presence of fungal elements
and Gram staining was done for any suspected yeast infection. Nigrosin stain was done for cerebrospinal fluid. The
samples were inoculated on Sabouraud's Dextrose Agar and kept at 22°C and 37°C. Results: A total of 735 samples with
suspected fungal aetiology were included in the study out of which 176 were found to be positve. Maximum isolates were
obtained from adults (78.98%). Males (59.10%) were more affected than females (40.90%). There were 176 isolates of
which 02 were yeast, 72 were yeast-like fungi, and 102 were mould fungi. Dermatophytes (27.84%), C. albicans (24.43%)
and non albicans Candida (15.34%) were the predominant fungal isolates. Conclusion: The predominant isolate
obtained in this study were dermatophytes and Candida sp. The predominance of dermatophytes may be due to rural
and agricultural background of most patients. An increase in fungal infections may also be due to an increase in the
number of immunocompromised patients like AIDS, cancer and other critical illnesses in our hospital.