Abstract
Background and Objectives: Dermatophytosis is a fungal infection caused by dermatophytosis, in skin, hair, and nails. Three groups of dermatophyts (anthropophilic, zoophilic and geophilic) can cause dermatophytosis in human. Tinea capitis is the most common cause of dermatophytosis in children below the age of 12 years old. In 2005, the prevalence of Tinea capitis in children was 9/5% in Saudi Arabia, approximately 5% in Greece, and 13/3% in Iran. This study was survey of etiological agents in children suspected Tinea capitis referred to medical mycology lab in Tabriz.
Materials & Methods: During three years 202 children below the age of 12 years, suspected of Tinea capitis were examined in our mycology lab. Hair roots and skin scrapings were collected from each patient and subjected to microscopy and culture for identification of fungal hyphae and spores.
Results: 52 (25.75%) cases of 202 patients were positive. Clinical manifestations 50% were ectothrix, 38.5 % endothrix and 11.5% favus. Trichophyton verrucosum was the most frequent causative agent in this study and Trichophyton violuceum (23.1%), Microsporum canis (19.2%), Trichophyton schoenleini (%13.5), Trichophyton tonsurans (9.6%), T. mentagrophytes (1.9%) were isolated, from cultures.
Conclusion: Tinea capitis (scale ringworm) is the most common dermatophyte infection of the scalp affecting mainly children and rarely adults. It is difficult to determine the geographic distribution of dermatophites and social behaviors, migration, quickly toavelling are factors to vary geographic distribution of dermatophytosis worldwide. This study shows a higher incidence of Tinea capitis in children aged 3-11 and higher incidence in boys than girls. Trichophyton verrucosum, T. violaseum, T. shonleini were important etiologic agents. These findings are in agreement with other studies. The clinical symptoms such as grey patch, black dots; cup-shaped scutula, and mycology examinations were useful in diagnosis of clinical types of Tinea capitis