| ORIGINAL ARTICLE |
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| Year : 2016 | Volume
: 59
| Issue : 2 | Page : 159-165 |
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Clinicomycological profile of pityriasis versicolor in Assam
Ajanta Sharma1, Debajit Rabha2, Saveta Choraria3, Debeeka Hazarika4, Giasuddin Ahmed5, Naba Kumar Hazarika2
1 Department of Microbiology, Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh, West Bengal, India
2 Department of Microbiology, Gauhati Medical College, Guwahati, Assam, India
3 Department of Microbiology, Ramkrishna Seva Prathisthan, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
4 Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology, Gauhati Medical College, Guwahati, Assam, India
5 Department of Biotechnology, Gauhati University, Guwahati, Assam, India
Correspondence Address:
Ajanta Sharma
Department of Microbiology, Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh - 786 002, Assam
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/0377-4929.182027
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Background: Geographical variation in the distribution of Malassezia species associated with pityriasis versicolor (PV) has led to the necessity of studying epidemiological, mycological, and clinical characteristics of PV. Aims: To study the epidemiological, mycological, and clinical characteristics of PV in a tertiary care hospital. Settings and Design: The study was carried out with a cross-sectional design. Materials and Methods: Two hundred and sixty-two consecutive PV patients were subjected to detailed history, clinical examination, and investigations. Skin scrapings were processed by direct microscopy and culture. Isolates were identified by phenotypic characteristics and polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Association of Malassezia species with clinical and epidemiological characteristics was studied. Statistical analysis of the data was done using statistical software. Results: Maximum number of PV cases (33.9%) belonged to the age group of 21–30 years with a male preponderance. 61.4% of the patients had a sedentary lifestyle, 70.2% showed the gradual onset of the disease, 51.1% presented with pruritus and in 66.4% of the patients symptoms were continuous. Most commonly involved body site was neck (27.8%), 77.09% of the lesions were bilaterally asymmetrical, 87.4% were macular, and 89.3% were hypopigmented. Malassezia furfur (77.3%) was the predominant species. Sedentary lifestyle (61.4%) and increased sweating (48%) were the most commonly associated predisposing factors. Conclusion: PV is more common in males. Distribution of Malassezia species varies significantly from those reported in other parts of India. M. furfur was the most common species responsible for PV in our region. Hence, further studies are required to evaluate the exact cause of this variation. |
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