Mycotic flora of the interdigital spaces of the human foot: a preliminary investigation.

A qualitative and quantitative study of the mycotic flora of the interdigital spaces of 27 male volunteers yielded 1,291 moulds and 598 yeasts. Concurrently, a study of garden soil was conducted in order to obtain data concerning the transient-resident status of the fungi recovered from the feet. Of the 120 genera and species of fungi isolated, 51 were recovered from the volunteers, 53 from the soil, and 16 from both categories. The most commonly recovered fungi from the toewebs, in order to occurrence, were Torulopsis candida, Mycelia Sterilia, T. maris, Rhodotorula rubra, Cryptococcus albidus, and species of Aspergillus and Penicillium. Without sign of infection, Cryptococcus neoformans was isolated from 5 volunteers. Candida albicans was not recovered from any subject. Trichophyton mentagraphytes was recovered from 7 volunteers and T. rubrum from one.