Isolation and characterization of dermatophytes from human and small ruminants at Nangarhar and Kunar provinces of Afghanistan

Dermatophytosis is a fungal skin infection which can infect various species of animals and human. The infection is also called ringworm and is caused by many types of fungi. In the present study total 633 small ruminants (441 from Noorgal district (188 sheep and 253 goats) and 192 from Goshta district (57 sheep and 135 goats)) and 320 humans in medical hospital were examined for presence of ringworm. Skin lesions of suspected patients were taken and subjected to KOH wet mount and culturing in Sabouraud's dextrose agar (SDA). Overall prevalence in small ruminants according to KOH test was 5.213 per cent and according to SDA culture was 5.529 per cent. In sheep the prevalence as per KOH and SDA culture was 6.93 per cent each. In goat KOH test showed 4.123 per cent and fungal culture showed 4.639 per cent positive. Result of medical hospital revealed that the overall result based on KOH was 4.68 per cent and on culture base was 3.75 per cent. In Goshta and Noorgal districts females were more susceptible to ringworm than the males and old sheep were more susceptible than young. In Goshta young goats were more susceptible whereas in Noorgal old goats were more susceptible. The findings revealed that there was high prevalence of dermatophyte both in human beings and animals in this part of Afghanistan.