Australian Aborigines and Their Dermatophytes

Abstract

other ethnic groups. So far, the dermatophyles generally responsible for ringworm in fhc Ausfralian Aborigines show interesting differenc'es from those usually isolated from other races in Ausfralia. The main examples are : Trichophyton tonsurans and T. violaceum ,• and, a granular varianf ofT. rubrum and a type o/M. canis both of which were described by fhe aufhors. With a few notable exceptions, ring-worm in fhc Australian Aborigines has attracted little medical interest or scienfific atfcnlion. For example, Foelsche, a police inspecfor, wrote about ringworm affecting Northern Territory Aborigines in /882. The dermatophyte responsible was not defined and described until 1973.The writers bdieve fhaf much more ivork is needed fo darify fhe various aspcds of ringworm among the Australian Aborigines. BACKGROUNDin thousands rather than hundreds of kilometres ; Four Fads communications and transport are frequently In Australia, ringworm is notably more difficult: some places are conveniently reached common among full-blood Aborigines and part-only ^^Y a»' while others are linked 113-rough bush Aborigines than among other ethnic groups tracks which are not passable m the wet season, living in conipai-able areas.The Aboriginal population is often sj^ai'se and ", , ! , r r 1 , widely scattered and the people are frequenth'

Skin infections and infestations in Aboriginal communities in northern Australia

“…are ubiquitous in many Aboriginal communities. 58 The granular variant of T. rubrum predominates in particularly the warmer humid northern communities, where it causes extensive skin (tinea corporis) and nail (tinea unguium) disease. 1,59,60 In central Australia and South Australia, other ringworms are also common, such as T. tonsurans , which frequently causes scalp lesions, and T. violaceum , which causes tinea corporis.…”

Tinea due to Trichophyton violaceum in Victoria, Australia

“…From 1982 to 1984, T. violaceum was isolated from eight Aboriginal children (cases [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] living in Rasl Gippsland (Fig. 1) \> ith tiiuM caiiilis 2 inntilhs apar'l.…”

Use of terbinafine for tinea in Australian Aboriginal communities in the Top End

“…In the present study T. tonsurans was diagnosed by scrapings using a scalpel, which included a few affected hairs. This was a simple and effective technique and is an alternative to the brush technique used in an earlier study 1 …”

“…However, because of the extensive skin involvement and longer treatment course required (usually 4 weeks) treatment is often abandoned. Griseofulvin was previously recommended for treating tinea, 1 being the only systemic antifungal available at the time; however, it has now been recognized to be less well tolerated and less effective than newer oral antifungals, particularly in the treatment of onychomycosis, with higher relapse rates upon ceasing 12,15 . Anecdotal experience from many years of griseofulvin use in Aboriginal communities is that the prolonged griseofulvin treatment required for extensive tinea corporis was rarely completed.…”

“…No recent studies have examined tinea prevalence, but anecdotal observations by health workers indicate that it is endemic. One study reported in 1977 found a tinea prevalence of 10.7% among 205 school children aged 6–16 years at Maningrida, one of the largest communities in the Top End 1 . Anthropophilic fungi are the main causes of tinea of the skin and nails in the Top End.…”