Abstract

Aim The skin microbiota, composed of millions of microorganisms, plays crucial roles in protecting against pathogens. Skin, as the body's largest organ, hosts beneficial microorganisms, serving as a physical barrier against pathogen invasion. However, disturbances in the balance between commensals and pathogens or breaches in the skin barrier can lead to skin or systemic diseases. The study aimed to isolate and characterize fungi present on the skin of female students residing in Federal University Wukari hostels.
Methods: Skin swab samples were collected from different body parts (ear, elbow, neck, and feet) of students living in four different hostels for both morning and evening. Sabouraud Dextrose Agar (SDA) plates were used for fungal analysis and observed for growth for a period of five days at 27ºC. Microscopic identification was performed using lactophenol cotton blue staining, and pure fungi isolates were identified based on cultural and morphological characteristics and reference to fungal atlas.
Result: The most prevalent fungus found on the students' skin was Penicillium spp., occurring in 32% of the samples. Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus niger were also common, with occurrences of 24% and 20% respectively. Fusarium spp. and Trichophyton rubrum were isolated at rates of 8% each. Interestingly, the presence of Penicillium spp. showed a significant difference between morning and evening samples, being more prevalent in the morning (28%) compared to the evening (4%).
Conclusion: The presence of these fungi on the skin doesn't necessarily indicate harm. However, they can lead to opportunistic infections in immunocompromised individuals.

Key words: Fungi, Female, Student, Skin, and Wukari,