Indian Journal of Health Sciences and Care

Otomycosis is one of the frequently encountered fungal infections of external auditory canal (EAC), commonly seen in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Although Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans along with nearly sixty one fungal species are said to be involved in causation of otomycosis, very few reports was available on mixed infections of EAC in immunocompetent patients so proper identification of mixed fungal and bacterial agents is mandatory in order to prevent recurrences and complications. A prospective study was conducted in SGT hospital over six months period. A total of 250 consecutive patients with clinical diagnosis of otomycosis were included in the study. Samples were collected, transported and evaluated by both direct examination and culture method for mycological and bacteriological examination. Male to female ratio in study participants was 1.6: 1. Mycological examination yielded 256 fungal isolates in 220 samples from a total of 250 clinically diagnosed cases of otomycosis. Aspergillus spp. were the predominant fungi, more frequent being A. niger complex followed by A. flavus complex and A. fumigatus complex in all samples. 15.5% of the cases were found to have mixed infections. A. niger complex was the predominent fungi followed by A. fumigatus complex and A. flavus complex in samples with mixed growth. All patients of more than 55 years of age were infected with more than one fungi.