The aetiological agents of tinea capitis in Zaragoza (Spain)

Abstract

Between 1977 and 1997, 190 cases of tinea capitis were observed. The age groups most commonly infected were 1-10 years old. The following dermatophytes were isolated: Microsporum canis (119), Trichophyton mentagrophytes (57), Trichophyton tonsurans (seven), Trichophyton verrucosum (three), Trichophyton violaceum (one), Trichophyton schoenleinii (one), Trichophyton soudanense (one) and Microsporum audouinii (one).

A 30‐year survey of paediatric tinea capitis in southern Spain

“…Case of TC were more usual in children younger than 10 years of age, as also found in the vast majority of other studies, with TC being the most common cutaneous fungal infection in children aged 3–7 years, 6,12,13,20–22 but rare in adults 2,13 . The incidence of TC in children younger than 1 year of age old is low, with fewer than 100 cases reported, 2,4,7,11,22,24 20 of these in Spain 4,12,18 .…”

“…Throughout the whole study period (30 years), TC was the most usual clinical form of dermatophytoses, even though in the last period of our study, we observed a significant reduction in the number of these cases. Most cases occurred in boys, as was found in most other studies 6,12,13,20 . Some authors suggest that TC produced by dermatophytes of the genus Microsporum are more usual in males, while there is no predominant gender for TC caused by dermatophytes of the genus Trichophyton , 1,4,21 or that these latter may even be more common in women 22 .…”

“…Italy, Croatia, or Greece, but also in other countries such as France, Austria, Hungary, Germany, Slovenia, Czech Republic and Poland 1,2,5 . This predominance of M. canis is probably related to the increase in the number of pets, particularly cats and dogs, which frequently leads to contagion in several members of the same family 6,13 . T. mentagrophytes var.…”

“…The causal agent cannot be determined in all children by means of clinical features alone, and the prevalence of one or other agent varies depending on the geographical area and even on the time of study. These differences are related to such factors as migratory movements, hygiene habits, the introduction of new treatments and access to medical resources 1,2,5–8 . Indeed, the aetiological agents of TC have not yet been studied in many areas, and in some areas, the laboratories are not even equipped for their identification.…”

“…During the 19th Century, TC became an important public health problem over a large part of Europe, attaining the characteristics of an epidemic 2,6 . TC was most usually attributable to anthropophilic agents: M. audouinii , T. schonleinii , T. violaceum and T. tonsurans in Spain, the rest of Western Europe and the Mediterranean area, while T. schonleinii was the predominant agent in Eastern Europe 2,9,10 .…”