Otomycosis in western Nigeria

Otomycosis is a recognized clinical entity in the tropical regions of the world. However, there is scanty information on this disease in some parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and pattern of etiological agents of otomycosis in western Nigeria. Medical records of patients with otomycosis seen in the Otorhinolaryngology Department of the University College Hospital, Ibadan from 1996-2005 were reviewed for all essential clinical data. Of the 5784 patients with ear diseases, 378 (6.54%) had otomycosis which consisted of 145 (38.36%) males and 233 (61.64%) females. Seventeen patients (4.50%) had recurrence within six months of treatment, 4 (1.06%) had poorly controlled plasma glucose. A significant number of our patients, 52 (13.76%), had prior topical aural antibiotic treatment following misdiagnosis. The predominant etiological agents in our series were Aspergillus niger (48.35%) and Aspergillus fumigatus (33.96%). © 2007 The Authors.