Scalp Dermatophyte Carriage in Pregnant, Pre-, and Postmenopausal Women: A Comparative Study Using the Hairbrush and Cytobrush Methods of Sample Collection

Abstract

Tinea capitis is a dermatophyte infection of the scalp that is most often seen in prepubescent children. In this investigation, we examined the prevalence of tinea capitis and symptom-free colonization of the scalp with dermatophytes in 786 pre- and postmenopausal women aged 12-84 years. Scalp samples were collected from all participants by cytobrush or hairbrush, and cultures were then grown from these samples on Sabouraud glucose agar. No participant was diagnosed with tinea capitis; however, one 43-year-old patient (0.1%) was positive for a "scalp carriage" related to anthropophilic Trichophyton rubrum, as detected using a hairbrush. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of the isolate were sequenced, and the assembled DNA sequences were examined using the basic BLAST (nucleotide-nucleotide) software of the National Center for Biotechnology Information Web database. This patient was followed up without any antimycotic treatment, and after 4 weeks, mycological clearance was documented. In addition, the contacts and environment at home were screened, where all fungal cultures were sterile. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first report of a "scalp carriage" related to a cosmopolitan fungus, T. rubrum.

Adult tinea capitis in China: A retrospective analysis from 2000 to 2019

“…In our study, 31.6% of the adult TC patients have an age between 18‐44 age level and 68.4 of the people between 45‐89 age level, indicating higher frequency in middle aged and elderly population, especially in postmenopausal women. Hormonal change is one of the common reported factors to explain the higher susceptibility of TC in females 17 . Moreover, ATC mainly involves postmenopausal women, attributing to the involution of sebaceous glands following decreased blood oestrogen levels during menopause.…”

Asymptomatic Scalp Carriage among Household Contacts of Children Affected by Tinea Capitis: A Prospective Study in the Metropolitan Area of Brussels, Belgium

“…Data from literature regarding prevalence of ACs vary considerably, ranging from 0.3% to 97% [3, 5, 7, 8, 18, 24-26, 30, 31, 34, 36, 38]. Prevalence varies alongside with population’s features and geographic distribution, making it difficult to compare results of studies conducted in different countries and continents.…”

“…Twenty-six studies regarding the prevalence of ACs for TC have been published to date [3, 5, 7-10, 15, 17-36]. The majority of them were epidemiologic or retrospective studies.…”

“…However, addressing the issue of ACs as potential reservoir of disease could be important in order to prevent spreading and reinfection. Twenty-six studies have been published to date, with mixed results [3, 5, 7-10, 15, 17-36]. The vast majority of them is retrospective or epidemiologic in nature.…”

Asymptomatic groin dermatophyte carriage detected during routine gynaecologic examinations

“…Several epidemiological studies conducted by our group have determined the prevalence of asymptomatic dermatophyte scalp carriage in different populations: (i) 0.1–1.3% in primary school children; 12,13 (ii) 0.6% in the mentally challenged population; 14 (iii) 0.1% in women attending a gynaecology clinic in the Çukurova region of Turkey 15 and (iv) 4.1% in junior Greco‐Roman wrestlers 8 . However, our experience with groin carriage is limited to male wrestlers 8,9 .…”