Abstract: Objective To study pathogenic fungi strains in 297 cases of superficial mycosis.Methods The clinical specimens from 297 patients with superficial mycosis, which presented positive results of the direct microscopic examination, were examined with the culture and identification of isolates of causative fungi. Sometimes accurate identification needed BioMerieux API 20C AUX or the sequences of ITS region of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) identify. The results were analysed by SPSS 17.0 statistical software.Results All 13 kinds of pathogenic fungi strains were isolated, including Trichophyton rubrum 86 strains (29.0%),Trichophyton mentagrophytes 68 strains (22.9%),Candida 59 strains (19.9%),Dematiaceous hyphomycetes 13 strains (4.4%),Aspergillus 13 strains (4.4%),Rhodotorula 12 strains (4.0%),Penicillium 9 strains (3.0%),Mucor 9 strains (3.0%),Microsporum canis 5 strains (1.7%),Cryptococcus albidus 3 strains (1.0%),Trichosporon 2 strains (0.7%),Epidermophyton floccosum 1 strains (0.3%) and 17 mixed fungal infection (5.7%).Conclusion The predominant superficial mycosis is onychomycosis, and the predominant pathogenic fungi strains is Trichophyton rubrum, but Candida infection have grown significantly.

Key words: superficial mycosis, fungi strains, identification