Epidemiology of superficial mycoses in morocco: Analysis of the impact of anti-COVID-19 preventive measures

Introduction: In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, several strategies to reduce the spread of this virus have been adopted in the community and hospital settings.

Objective: To report the epidemiological trends of all superficial mycoses (SM) diagnosed before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and to evaluate the impact of anti-COVID-19 preventive measures on the incidence and etiological profile of these SM.

Methods: This is a retrospective descriptive and comparative study conducted over four years, divided into two distinct periods: Before the COVID-19 pandemic (Period 1: January 2018 to December 2019) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (Period 2: January 2020 to December 2021), including all superficial mycoses diagnosed at the laboratory of parasitology and medical mycology of the Avicenne military hospital of Marrakech during these two periods.

Results: Out of 1598 superficial mycological specimens, 1006 were received during period 1 and 592 during period 2 (p=0.000). Onychomycosis (n=840) predominated in both periods (52.3% versus 53%, p=0.771). The incidence of ringworm and epidermomycosis decreased significantly between periods 1 and 2, with a p-value of 0.000 and 0.026, respectively. The study of the etiological profile showed a decrease in the incidence of dermatophytes (85.5% versus 79.3%, p=0.015), contrasting with a statistically significant increase in yeast MS (9% versus 11.3%, p=0.001), and this mainly concerned nonalbicans Candida (5.5% versus 35.8%, p=0.000).

Conclusion: The results of this study highlight the impact of anti-COVID-19 prevention measures on the epidemiological profile of SM. It shows that the continuation of the actions implemented to control the transmission of SARS-COV-2 will significantly contribute to reducing the incidence of superficial mycoses, especially dermatophytes.