Harasit Kumar Paul I agree with your findings that the frequency of cutaneous fungal infections has been rising in recent years. I understand that social determinants of health may be having a complex interplay here. As we are aware that there are increasing health inequities owing to which there is this significant marginalization of population happening everywhere. With this marginalization comes poverty and poor living conditions which in turn are known determinants of poor personal hygiene. It is possible that this might be one plausible reason for increasing fungal infection.

There may also be an equally unsettling side to this - Anti-microbial resistance or that the fungi are becoming more adaptive to infect us.

These are just my opinions. I hope they would be helpful to initiate more discussion on this topic.

Shiv Hiren Joshi, I thankfully acknowledge your valuable addition to the discussion.

Hi Harasit Kumar Paul

The lifestyle can be mentioned as a common determinant for increase in frequency in cutaneous fungal infections. The environmental temperature is increasing throughout the world and thereby better survival chances of many microbes including the fungi, in addition to the use of clothes which does not absorb sweat or perspiration.

General hygiene as a factor to be considered in all socio economic groups not necessarily the poor will be affected in large number. In fact bacterial cutaneous infections are common among the socioeconomically poor but the fungal infections are common among the middle and higher socioeconomic groups . Use of indiscriminate antibiotics , use of excess beauty products , skin moisturisers, sharing of clothes , lack of space in sun drying the clothes, drying the towels and inner wear clothes in shady areas etc can be attributes to the increase in number. i agree there are variations in the frequency of occurrence of different species of fungi in different age groups.