Fungal flora from the sand of two beaches of Casablanca (Morroco); Analysis and epidemiological corollary

Due to the large number of people who spend time on beaches in summer, possible contamination of the sand by fungal spores could be a possible source of contamination of certain pathogenic fungi. The aim of this study was to identify the fungal flora present on two beaches in Casablanca, Morocco, by means of a mycological study carried out in the summer of 2004. Out of a total of 120 samples of sand, 70 species of fungus were identified in 56 infected samples. Different species were isolated including 19 strains of yeast (10 Candida albicans and nine other species), five Trichophyton rubrum, four Scytalidium dimidiatum, 25 Aspergillus spp., 13 Penicillium spp., two Cladosporium and two Scedosporium. These results confirm the presence of a wide range of fungal flora in the sand of beaches in Casablanca. In addition, keratinophile fungi were isolated mostly in humid sites which could favour the incidence of dermatomycoses among beachgoers.