Isolation of dermatophytes and correlated species from the soil of public gardens and parks in Rome.

Looking for dermatophytes and other keratinophilic fungi in the soil of parks and gardens in large towns is very interesting because of the relationship between the number of people living in the area and the presence of such fungi in the soil. As compared with other cities in Italy, Rome offers prime conditions for this kind of research. It has a high population density (10,000 inhabitants per sq/km2), and many parks and gardens, where it is possible to carry out soil studies.