A clinicomycological study of fungal foot infections among Algerian military personnel.

There have been few studies on fungal infection of the foot in military personnel. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and aetiological factors of superficial mycoses of the foot in military personnel attending the Department of Dermatology of the Army Central Hospital in Algiers, Algeria. A complete dermatological examination was performed in 650 male military personnel. Cultures of skin and nail specimens of the feet were performed for each participant. Fungal infection of the foot (including tinea pedis and Candida interdigital infection) was clinically diagnosed in 147, and confirmed in 119 by positive cultures, resulting in a total prevalence of 18.3%. When subjects were grouped according to military rank, fungal infection of the foot was prevalent in troop soldiers; when grouped according to years of service to the army, the infection was frequent in military recruits. The dermatophyte species Trichophyton rubrum (20.9%) and the yeast species Candida parapsilosis (18.7%) were shown to be the major causal agents isolated. Tinea pedis and Candida interdigital infection are the most prevalent (68%) superficial fungal infections among Algerian military personnel.