Fungal isolation from wound samples submitted for culture at a tertiary care hospital laboratory Authors Joveria Farooqi Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan Asma Akbar Ladak Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan Najma Shaheen Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan Kauser Jabeen Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan DOI: https://doi.org/10.47391/JPMA.2105 Abstract Fungal wound infections are increasing worldwide. The aim of this retrospective study, conducted at the Aga Khan University laboratory, Karachi, Pakistan, was to determine the frequency of fungal isolation in wound specimens. Data of wound samples received for culture from all over the country between September and October 2018 was reviewed. Samples were processed for bacterial cultures and additionally inoculated on Sabouraud’s dextrose medium. Demographic information, medical history and information on the type of wound was collected. A total of 140 cases were included, of which 87 (81%) were culture positive, while 10 (7%) cases yielded fungi. Burn and blast wounds had the highest proportion of fungal isolation, i.e. 2 out of 4 (50%). Candida species were the most common fungi (n=4), followed by Fusarium species (n=3). This study reports an alarming rate of fungal wound infections. As fungal necrotising wound infections have high morbidity and mortality, it is, therefore, important to accurately diagnose and treat such infections in local setting. Keywords: Wounds and Injuries, Fungal Infections, Diabetic Foot, Infections, Skin and Soft Tissue Infections. Author Biographies Joveria Farooqi, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Aga Khan University, Karachi Asma Akbar Ladak, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan Medical College, Aga Khan University, Karachi Najma Shaheen, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Aga Khan University, Karachi Downloads Full Text Article Published 2022-03-11 How to Cite Farooqi, J., Akbar Ladak, A., Shaheen, N., & Jabeen, K. (2022). Fungal isolation from wound samples submitted for culture at a tertiary care hospital laboratory. Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association, 72(8), 1622–1625. https://doi.org/10.47391/JPMA.2105 More Citation Formats ACM ACS APA ABNT Chicago Harvard IEEE MLA Turabian Vancouver Download Citation Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS) BibTeX Issue Vol. 72 No. 8 (2022): AUGUST Section Original Article