ETIOLOGY OF ONYCHOMYCOSIS IN AL AIN, UNITED-ARAB-EMIRATES

A 1-year study was conducted on 151 patients with finger- or toenail d isease attending a dermatology clinic in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. Nail scrapings and or clippings were collected and investigated with a KOH preparation for direct microscopy and cultured for fungi. Eighty -nine (59%) patients were females. Most females (62%) presented with f ingernail disease while in men the toenails were involved in 76%. Fung i were isolated in 78 (52%) of all cases and the fingernails were more commonly positive than toenails. Of the 78 isolates, 49 (63%) were ye asts, including eight Candida species, dermatophytes accounted for 22 (28%) and seven (9%) were other moulds. Non-dermatophyte moulds consti tuted 20% of male isolates but only 4% of female isolates. Eighty-one per cent of Candida species were from fingernails, while 87% of all th e dermatophytes were from toenails.