High prevalence of tinea capitis in newly arrived migrants at an English‐language school, Melbourne, 2005

Abstract

Objective: To investigate a reported increase in tinea capitis in an English‐language school to determine if it was an outbreak and whether control measures were warranted. Design: Cross‐sectional study. Setting and population: Primary school children enrolled at an English‐language school in an outer suburb of Melbourne were screened for tinea capitis in November 2005 by clinical examination, collection of scalp, skin or nail specimens where clinically indicated, and scalp brushing. Main outcome measures: Clinical diagnosis of tinea capitis confirmed by microscopy and culture. Results: Parental consent was obtained for 180 children (98%), of whom 153 (85%) were screened. Dermatophytes were isolated from 21% (32/153) of the children screened, comprising 23 infected children (cases) and 9 carriers. Three dermatophyte species were identified: Trichophyton soudanense, Trichophyton violaceum and Microsporum audouinii. Cases and carriers were significantly different to non‐cases by ethnicity (P = 0.010): a higher proportion came from Africa, notably Sudan, and Arabic countries. Conclusions: Although our result may reflect what is expected in these migrant groups, tinea capitis caused by these three dermatophyte species is rare in Australian school children. Tinea capitis may continue to be a problem in these groups on account of continuing migration.

Outbreak of Microsporum audouinii in Munich – the return of infectious fungi in Germany

“…Similar to other studies, which described a transfer of M. audouinii by immigrants or travellers on vacation in countries endemic for the dermatophyte to Western countries our index patients therefore brought M. audouinii to Munich. Further transmission then occurred in kindergartens and later by older siblings of newly infected children to schools.…”

Dermatophyte infections in Melbourne: Trends from 1961/64 to 2008/09

“…A marked increase over the years in previously rarely isolated dermatophytes, T. soudanense , T. violaceum and Microsporum audouinii , has been noted recently 9,10 . Historically, tinea capitis was associated with Microsporum canis and T. tonsurans , but, as Figure 2 reveals; T. violaceum was the commonest dermatophyte isolated from our patients in 2008/09, with T. soudanense third, behind M. canis.…”

“…The changing epidemiology of this infection has implications for clinical recognition and therapy. Migration from Africa since the 1990s is a significant factor in the increasing number of total and previously rarely seen scalp dermatophytes 9,10 . Most of our patients with T. violaceum and all of those with T. soudanense and M. audouinii were born in Africa.…”

Dermatophytes and Transmission Risks to Family: A Retrospective Study of a Cohort of 256 Adopted Children from 1998 to 2012

“…In this study we confirmed the high prevalence of dermatophytoses in children originating from developing countries , particularly Africa and the Caribbean. All of the dermatophytes were anthropophilic, representing a real public health concern.…”