Keratinophilic Fungi Isolated from Second Hand Wears in Anambra State, Nigeria

Samples were collected from one hundred and twenty second hand wears and inoculated into Sabouraud Dextrose Agar Petri dishes supplemented with 0.5mglml cyclohexamide and 0.05mg/ml chloramphenicol. The fungal isolates were tested for their ability to degrade keratin using modified hair-baiting technique and eight species of fungi were recovered. The organisms isolated belong to dermatophyte and non dermatophyte fungi. The non dermatophyte fungi accounted for 78% of the isolates and include Aspergillus niger(l2.2%), Aspergillus terms (4.9%), Aspergillus fumigatus (12.2%), Trichosporon asteroides (7.3%), Trichosporon cutaneum (9.7%), Geotrichum candidum (14.6%) and Penicilliumchry sogeneum (17.1%). Trichophyton tonsurans (22%) was the only dermatophyte isolated. Photomicrographs of the hair strands revealed perforations as a result of the ability of the fungi to degrade keratin. Most of the fungi have been implicated in human and animal mycoses and so pose public health problem. There is therefore, need for users of these second hand wears to disinfect them before use.