Prevalence and Antifungal Susceptibility Profile of Malassezia Species Isolated from Pityriasis Patients in Duhok City/ Iraq

Pityriasis versicolor (PV) is a mild, long-lasting superficial cutaneous mycosis caused by the yeast Malassezia. It is characterized by distinct or confluent, scaly, discolored spots on the upper trunk and other sebaceous areas. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and antifungal susceptibility profile of Malassezia species isolated from pityriasis versicolor patients in Duhok city / Iraq.

The current study was carried out on a total of 157 patients, 89 females (57%) and 68 males (43%) who were clinically suspected of having pityriasis versicolor, attending the dermatological department of Azadi Teaching Hospital in Duhok city during the period from July 2024-October 2024. Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was used to dissolve antifungal drugs, which were then utilized to test antifungal sensitivity using the agar well diffusion method against widely used antifungal medications, including (itraconazole, fluconazole, ketoconazole, and nystatin). In this study the majority of patients were in the age group of 21-30 years. Within clinical signs, hypopigmented type of PV was the most predominant type (42.7%).

The majority of patients showed two or more areas of involvement which were seen in 57 cases (36.3%). More people in urban area (92.4%) were impacted than in rural areas (7.6%).

 Regarding antifungal susceptibility, the most effective drugs were ketoconazole and nystatin, followed by itraconazole and finally fluconazole.