Otomycosis in Patients Attending a Tertiary Health-care Institution in Sokoto, Northwestern Nigeria

Abstract

Introduction: Otomycosis is a superficial fungal infection of the external auditory canal (EAC). The hot, humid, and dusty environment of the tropics and subtropics makes otomycosis more prevalent in these regions. It can be acute or chronic, and usually manifest by aural pruritus, aural fullness, otalgia, otorrhea, tinnitus, and hearing loss. Aim/Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and pattern of etiological agents of otomycosis in Sokoto, Northwestern Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This study was a cross-sectional tertiary hospital-based study. One hundred patients with symptoms of otomycosis were recruited from the ENT outpatient clinic of UDUTH Sokoto. Swabs from the ears were taken and evaluated for fungal agents, sociodemographic factors, symptomatology, and risk factors were analyzed. Data analysis was performed with IBM-SPSS 25.0. Results: The patient’s age range of 4–57 years (mean of 18.78 ± 10.67) years, with a male-to-female ratio of 1:1.1; about 124 ear exudates were analyzed, in 75 (60.5%) of ear discharge, 7 different varieties of fungi were isolated, while in 49 (39.5%), there was no fungal growth on culture. The etiological agents found in our study were Aspergillus niger 30 (40.0%) was the most commonly isolated fungi in this study, followed by Candida albicans 25 (33.3%), Aspergillus fumigatus 5 (6.7%), Mucor 5 (6.7%), Penicillium 4 (5.3%), Aspergillus flavus 3 (4.0%), and Rhizopus 3 (4.0%) with A. niger as the most predominant. Conclusion: Otomycosis affects all age groups and both sexes, could be asymptomatic and if left untreated may result to morbidity. Mycological studies should be carried out on all patients with symptoms Otomycosis, this guide to proper management of the disease.