Role of malassesia species in seborrheic dermatitis

Background and aim: We aimed to investigate the etiologic role of malassesia species in SD, the disease which the etiology is yet precisely unknown and many causes are propound.Materials and methods: In this study we included 49 (31 males and 18 females) patients who applied to the outpatient clinic of the University of Cukurova department of Dermatology. Samples were taken from the patients both lesional and perilesional regions for the culture. Cultures were put into the leming notman agar and frozen rodac contact plates.Findings: Of the samples taking from the lesional regions M. furfur proliferated from the 7 (14,3 %) samples and m.globosa proliferated from the 3 (6,1 %) samples. Idendification of species would not be able to done in 3 samples (6,1 %) from both lesional and nonlesional region. There was no statistically significant difference between the lesional and nonlesional species which were proliferated. In 12 (92,3 %) patients who had a proliferaion of malassezia, lesions were recurrent while in one patient (7,7 %) lesion was primer. Four out of 6 (66,7 %), patients which had a proliferation of malassezia in nonlesional region, lesion were recurrent, and in two (33,3 %) of them lesions were primer. Once more there was no statistically significant difference between them. We search the affect of the duration of the lesion and of the disease on the proliferation. There was no statistically significant difference.Conclusion: In this study although we detected more proliferation in lesional region there was no statistically significant difference. In order to determine the significant role of Malassezia species in this disease, it is necessary to design a study with more patients.Keywords: Seborrheic dermatitis, malassesia, dermatology