Abstract
Approximately 8,000 patients with various skin diseases were seen at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Kaduna, Nigeria between January 1983 and December 1986. 174 (2.2%) presented with features in which a clinical diagnosis of superficial fungal infection was made or suspected. 69 out of 190 (36.3%) of specimens taken from skin lesions or nails from these patients were mycologically positive. The fungi isolated were Trichophyton rubrum (24.6%), Tr. soudanense (13.0%), Candida albicans (5.8%) Hendersonula toruloidea (2.9%), Microsporum audouinii (1.5%) and Epidermophyton floccosum (1.5%); 34.8% of the specimens were positive on microscopy but failed to grow. Malassezia furfur was demonstrated in 15.9% of the 69 positive specimens.