Different clinical symptoms caused by dermatophytes range from superficial to subcutaneous affliction, including tinea corporis, tinea capitis, tinea pedis, and tinea unguium. ¹ These diseases can range in severity clinically from moderate to severe depending on the host's immune system, the virulence of the strain, and other environmental factors. ^{2 – 4} Although dermatophytoses harm people throughout, they are more common in tropical regions due to high temperatures and humidity. ⁵ Age, sex, time of year, socioeconomic and cultural circumstances, and geographic location are all factors that might influence the development of dermatophytosis. ⁶ Potassium hydroxide (KOH) direct microscopy followed by selective medium culture is the standard procedure for dermatophyte screening in clinical samples. A quick screening technique for fungal structures is microscopy performed directly on clinical specimens, but this method lacks specificity. ⁷ By using phenotypic techniques, dermatophyte isolates can be classified according to genus or species based on colony characteristics, microscopic assessments, and biochemical tests like growth patterns. ⁸ Because there are changes from one isolate to another and overlaps in the features of several species, dermatophyte species identification by morphology in cultures may be difficult or imprecise. ⁹ Molecular-based methods rely on identifying genotypic variations in pathogenic organisms. ^{10 – 12} Molecular methods are being used to identify dermatophytes since they are more precise than conventional techniques. ¹³ The development of molecular diagnostics were encouraged by the conventional techniques for identifying dermatophytes which are imprecise and have a delayed diagnostic character. Techniques that permit for both the early and accurate detection of dermatophytosis in order to provide timely antifungal treatment that prevents generic over-the-counter medication. ¹⁴ Therefore, it is essential to create more reliable dermatophyte identification techniques. ¹⁵ The current study's objective is to utilize RAPD-PCR method to identify and distinguish between the strains of fungi present in clinical isolates that cause chronic recurrent dermatophytosis.

Fungal infections in humans are becoming more common, especially in immunocompromised people, which has made them a global public health concern. The course of the disease, which can range from mild cutaneous or subcutaneous infections to invasive, widespread, and potentially fatal infections, is determined by the immunological health of the host. ¹⁶ For epidemiological reasons, accurate antifungal treatment prevention of transmission includes exact separation between dermatophytosis and non-dermatophyte, and thorough identification of disease-causing organisms is vital. ^{17 , 18} The most reliable approach to diagnose dermatophytosis is through the isolation and identification of dermatophytes from clinical samples. However, it typically takes a long time for the dermatophyte to grow in culture and sporulate, which delays diagnosis. Successful management of dermatophytes depends on prompt diagnosis and correct identification. ¹⁹ A study from Sweden by Ovrén, E et al. (2016) stated fluorescent staining method enhances the sensitivity and specificity in direct microscopy from skin, hair and nail samples and found that the specificity = (91.7–93.8%), positive predictive value (PPV) = (77.1–81.4%) and negative predictive value (NPV) = (83.7–89.9%). ²⁰ Molecular methods are available for the characterization of the dermatophyte species namely restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), (random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), gene-specific-PCR, ^{21 , 22} chitin synthase encoding gene, ²³ DNA hybridization, ²⁴ and sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS). ^{7 , 25} A study by Li, H. C., Bouchara et al. (2007) from the United Kingdom stated the use of oligonucleotide array based on ITS-1 and ITS-2 sequence for identification of 17-dermatophyte species subsequently, hybridization of a series of oligonucleotides (17–30mers) digoxigenin-labeled PCR products immobilized on a nylon membrane of the 198 clinical dermal filamentous strains tested and 90 non-targeted strains, the array sensitivity and specificity were 99.5% and 97.8%, respectively. ²⁶ Many molecular methods have made a way for early detection of dermatophytes to the species level. Along with these techniques serological methods have also detected the dermatophyte infection in the studies stated. A study by Higashi, Y et al. (2012) from Japan stated that the use of newly developed immunochromatographic strip-test for the diagnosis of dermatophytes found the overall sensitivity and specificity of the immunochromatographic test were 83.5% and 66.7%. ²⁷