Microsporum Infection in Rio Grande Do Sul (Brazil)

Abstract

Summary One hundred seventynine cases of human tinea infections caused by various species of Microsporum were seen by the author in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, from 1957 to 1962; 175 cases were due to M. canis and four to M. gypseum. The majority of patients were Caucasian children up to five years of age; the incidence diminished thereafter. Among adult females, however, infections were not uncommon. Multiple cases within families were common; multiple lesions were frequent. All of the patients lived in urban areas. Domestic animals, particularly cats, were the reservoirs. The M. gypseum lesions occurred singly and were of an inflammatory nature. No M. audouini infections were seen. The epidemiology of Microsporum infections is reviewed, and the results of the present study are compared with those reported by other Brazilian researchers. Résumé Cent soixante dix neuf cas d'infection de teigne humaine causée par diverses espéces de Microsporum ont été vus par l'auteur á Rio Grande do Sul, au Brésil, de 1957 á 1962;175 cas étaient dus au Microsporum canis et quatre au Microsporum gypseum. La majorité des patients étaient des enfants de race caucasienne, ˜gés de cinq ans au maximum; aprés cet âge l'incidence diminuait. Cependant parmi les adultes du sexe feminin, les infections n'étaient pas rares. Plusieurs cas dans les mémes familles étaient communs; les lésions multiples étaient fréquentes. Tous les patients vivaient dans des régions urbaines. Les animaux domestiques, les chats en particulier, sont les réservoirs de l'agent étiologique. Les lésions provoquées par le Microsporum gypseum ont apparu en cas isolés; elles étaient de nature inflammatoire. Aucune infection causée par le Microsporum audouini n'a été observée. Cet article contient également une revue de l'épidemiologie concernant les infections causées par le Microsporum et la comparaison des résultats de la présente étude avec les études rapportées par d'autres investigateurs brésiliens. Resumen El autor comunica haber observado 179 casos de tiña humana causada por diversas especies de Microsporum, en Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil, entre 1957 y 1962. En 175 pacientes la infección era causada por M. canis, y en cuatro, por M. gypseum. La mayoria de los pacientes la formaban niños de la raza blanca (caucásica) hasta de cinco años de edad. La frecuencia de la infección disminuia a medida que aumentaba la edad; sin embargo, en mujeres adultas la infección no dejó de presenlarse. Fueron comunes las infecciones entre los miembros de una misma familia; tambié fueron frecuentes las lesiones tiñosas múltiples. Todos los enfermos Vivían en zonas urbanas. Los animales domésticos. especialmente los gatos, eran los reservorios de la infección. Las lesiones causadas por M. gypseum eran únicas y de carácter inflamatorio. No se observaron infecciones producidas por M. audouini. Se revisa la epidemiología de la infección por Microsporum y se comparan los resultados del presente estudio con los obtenidos por otros investigadores brasileros. Resumo O autor estudou 179 casos de...

Tinea capitis: study of asymptomatic carriers and sick adolescents, adults and elderly who live with children with the disease

“…Our sample of tinea capitis in children was characterized by higher frequency between 0-5 years (66.0%) and in males (62.5%). However, in the literature, there are reports with preponderance in the ages 0-5 26,29 , 1-5 52 , 5-10 23 , 6-12 9,45,47 and 7-12 15 and male predominance 15,23,26,47,54 . These findings can be explained by several variables: short hairs making easier the implantation of spores 23 , dressing with petrolatum or other oils acting as an adherent for the arthroconidium 44 and cosmetic oils inhibiting the dermatophyte colonization 3 .…”

Animals as a Reservoir of Human Ringworm in New Zealand

“…Brown (1966) (Wong and Chan, 1968). Both Georsi, Hand and Menges (1956) and Londero (1963) have found M. canis restricted to urban areas, being rare or absent in rural areas. The seasonal distribution of animal and human ringworms due to M. canis in the Dunedin area follow a similar pattern with peaks in autumn and winter montlis (March-August) and a low in the spring and early summer (September-December).…”

“…The age and sex distribution of M. canis ringworms in man and animals needs little comment. Various authors have demonstrated the affinity of this dermatophyte for children and kittens (Marples, 1951;Georg, 1960;Londero, 1963;Keep, 1963). Earlier in New Zealand (Marples, 1951) and in Brazil (Londero, 1963) it had been demonstrated that in the yonnger age gronps, infection was more common in males than females.…”

“…Various authors have demonstrated the affinity of this dermatophyte for children and kittens (Marples, 1951;Georg, 1960;Londero, 1963;Keep, 1963). Earlier in New Zealand (Marples, 1951) and in Brazil (Londero, 1963) it had been demonstrated that in the yonnger age gronps, infection was more common in males than females. However, results presented here indicate that in the under 11 years age group, infection is evenly spread amongst the two sexes wliile in older children and adnlts, infection is more common in females.…”

Geographical distribution of the dermatophytes: a review

“…In Central America it is replaced by T. tonsurans (Gonzalez-Ochoa & Gonzalez-Mendoza, 1960;Gonzalez-Ochoa & Victoria, 1974). The most extensive survey has been carried out in Brazil (Londero, 1962(Londero, , 1963(Londero, , 1964 mainly in the south of the country. M. canis is the dominant agent of tinea capitis and tinea corporis in urban areas: a feature of the survey was the large number of cases recorded in children under five.…”