Increased resistance to anti-fungal agents by dermatophytes isolated from Sikkim, a Himalayan state of India

Dr. Rekha Sharma; Dr. Luna Adhikari; Dr.R. L. Sharma

Volume : VII, Issue : IV, April - 2018

Increased resistance to anti-fungal agents by dermatophytes isolated from Sikkim, a Himalayan state of India

Dr. Rekha Sharma, Dr. Luna Adhikari, Dr. R. L. Sharma

Abstract :

Background : Dermatophytic infections and its changing pattern among people of Sikkim over the past few years and the increasing treatment failure with various antifungal agents has ought a need to start study on antifungal susceptibility testing of dermatophytes isolated from this part of the country.

Aims and objectives: To perform antifungal susceptibility testing of the isolated dermatophytes and to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MICs) of antifungal agents.

Materials and methods: The study was carried out from May 2016 to October 2016. A total of 60 dermatophytes isolated from the clinical specimens were tested for antifungal susceptibility.

Results: For the isolated dermatophytes, griseofulvin had the lowest MIC, followed by itraconazole and terbinafine. All the isolates showed very high MIC against fluconazole.

Conclusion: The present study highlights the drug sensitivity pattern of dermatophytes in this part of the country. Dermatophytosis is caused by multiple species, which cannot be pin point on the clinical ground and different species show different drug susceptibility pattern, which thereby suggest multidrug therapy could be a better option for the management of a case.