How important are the dermatophytes? A clinical and laboratory investigation.

Dermatophyte infections were established in 6.9% of 640 unselected dermatology outpatients attending two district general hospitals in Cumbria over a six-month period. A clinical diagnosis of ringworm was confirmed in the laboratory in 43.1% of hospital and in 21.8% of a smaller series of general practice patients. No result of similar surveys have been published before., Even in a major stock-rearing area such as this, domestic pets appear to be a more important source of infection than the farm animal.