ABSTRACT

 Headwears such as hats, hairmets, caps, turbans, headties, could serve as a potential source of fungal infections. This project work was conducted to isolate and identify fungi from headwears worn by students in Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike. 30 samples were collected altogether;17 samples were collected from female students which includes hats, hairnets, caps, headwarmer while 13 samples from male students which includes caps, headwarmer and hats. The samples were cultured on Sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA). The results obtained showed the presence of dermatophytes which includes Microsporum audouinii, and Trichophyton sp., and non-dermatophytes which includes Aspergillus sp., Mucor sp., Penicillium sp. and Yeast. It was observed, that M audouinii was mostly isolated and had the highest percentage of 43% followed by Trichophyton sp. that had 24%, Aspergillus sp. 13%, yeast 10%, Penicilliuin sp. 7% and Mucor sp. 3%. As observed in this study, M audouinii occurred in higher percentage in males, this may be because they are usually asymptomatic carriers. Though some forms of sterilizations are practiced in the salons, which could serve as a source of transmission but not all equipment are subjected to proper sterilization. The findings emphasize the need for personal hygiene among students, proper sterilization of equipment used on the hair and proper washing of headwears to reduce the rate of transmission of organisms.