Isolation and Identification of Fungi from Female Hair Wigs in Benue State University Makurdi, Nigeria

Abstract

Numerous medical conditions and hormones can cause hair loss, which can manifest as full or partial baldness, leaving people self-conscious about their look. This study was carried out to isolate and identify fungi from female hair wigs among Benue State University Students. A total of 50 sample of female hair wigs were randomly collected and processed for fungi using culture medium (Potato Dextrose Agar) and identified based on morphological characteristics and microscopy. A total of 3 fungal pathogens which all belong to the genus Aspergillus were observed; Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus ocharaceus were identified. A. niger was observed to have the highest incidence of 9 (56.25 %), this was followed by A. ocharaceus which had an incidence of 4 (25.0 %) and the least incidence was observed with the A. fumigatus 3 (18.75 %) respectively. The human hair wig was observed to have the highest incidence of fungi 9 (36.0 %) than synthetic wig 7 (28.0 %). This study documented fungal species such as A. niger, A. fumigatus and A. ocharaceus to be contaminant of human Hair wig of female students within Benue State University due to its exposure to surfaces and heat generated from the body. Further research is necessary to understand the fungi that may contribute to the development of dandruff and how it interacts with other microorganisms in the hair and scalp.