Species of fungi associated with skin diseases of different age groups in plateau state, Nigeria

A survey was carried out on the species of fungi associated with skin diseases of thirty subjects of different age groups in Plateau State, Nigeria. The age groups included 1-10, 11-20, 21-30, 31-40 and 41-50 years, accounting for 27%, 38%, 23%, 8% and 4% of total number of individuals with fungal infections respectively. The skin diseases involved included ringworms, dermatitis, burns, impetigo and boils. The fungal isolates included Microsporium canis, M. audouinii, M. ferrugineum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, T. megninii and Aspergillus niger, with frequencies of occurrence in the skin lesions being 80%, 60%, 40%, 60%, 60% and 20% respectively. The implications of the results are discussed. Keywords: fungi, skin disease, age groups, Plateau State African Journal of Clinical and Experimental Microbiology Vol. 6 (3) 2005: 188-19