Isolation of dermatophytes and other keratinophilic fungi from the vicinity of salt pan soils of Mumbai, India

Soil samples from twenty salt pans and their vicinity around Mumbai and Thane were screened for the occurrence of keratinophilic fungi and related dermatophytes. Ten species classified in six genera were recovered using horse hair as bait. The isolated species were reported in the following order of dominance: Chrysosporium indicum (12.0%), Microsporum gypseum complex (7.2%), C tropicum (5.6%), C state of Ctenomyces serratus (4.0%), Trichophyton terrestre (3.2%), Malbranchea aurantiaca (2.4%), C fluviale (1.6%), Uncinocarpus reesii (1.6%), Malbranchea sp. (0.8%), and T mentagrophytes (0.8%).