Abstract: Objective To develop a rapid and reliable polymerase chain reaction (PCR) procedure to detect the pathogenic fungi in clinical specimens. Methods Skin, nail and hair samples were taken from patients suspected of being infected with superficial mycosis. Pathogens were detected by PCR based on the ITS1 primer, and the results were compared with those from microscopic examination and culture. Results One hundred and twelve patients were recruited in this study. For PCR, microscopic examination and culture the sensitivities were 80.7%, 96.5% and 70.2%, the specificities were 100%, 89.1% and 100%, the positive predictive values were 100%, 90.2% and 100%, and the negative predictive values were 83.3%, 96.1% and 76.4%, respectively. The PCR process could be completed within 24 h. Conclusions PCR assay has good specificity and accuracy, while fungal culture takes 2 weeks to get the results. PCR is helpful for making rapid clinical diagnosis, which leads to the appropriate treatment of superficial fungal infection.

Key words: Dennatomycoses, Polymerase chain reaction, Diagnosis