The Prevalence and Pattern of Superficial Fungal Infections among School Children in Ile-Ife, South-Western Nigeria

Abstract

Fungal infections of the skin and nails are common global problems with attendant morbidity among affected individuals. Children are mostly affected due to predisposing factors such as overcrowding and low socioeconomic factors. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and the clinical patterns of superficial fungal infections among primary school children in Ile-Ife. A multistage sampling was conducted to select eight hundred pupils from ten primary schools in Ile-Ife. Data on epidemiological characteristics and clinical history was collected using a semistructured questionnaire and skin scrapings were done. The prevalence of superficial fungal infections among the 800 respondents was 35.0%. Male pupils constituted 51.0% of respondents while the females were 49.0%. The mean age for all the respondents was 9.42 ± 2.00. Tinea capitis was the commonest infection with a prevalence of 26.9% and tinea unguium, tinea corporis, and tinea faciei had a prevalence of 0.8%, 0.6%, and 0.5%, respectively. Tinea manuum had the least prevalence of 0.1%. Pityriasis versicolor had a prevalence of 4.4%. Microsporum audouinii was the leading organism isolated. The study shows that the prevalence of superficial fungal infection (SFI) among primary school children in Ile-Ife is high with tinea capitis as the commonest SFI.

Superficial Fungal Infections in Children

“…In Nigeria, the ratio was reported to be 0.06% and in the trial by Ertas et al involving 51 cases, the ratio was reported to be 7.8% (9,16). In this study, we found t. corporis at a ratio of 26% in 136 children in total with 5 occurring on the face.…”

Ringworm Infections in Anambra State of Nigeria: Epidemiologic Features and Antifungal Potentials of Local Plant Remedies

“…Scalp ringworm was the commonest form of the disease encountered in children, which is in agreement with reports from other parts of the world [16]. This is probably because infancy and childhood predispose to this form of mycoses, as adult sebum is believed to contain certain fungistatic fatty acids [17].…”

Tinea manuum: A report of 18 cases observed in the metropolitan area of Milan and review of the literature

“…However, Trichophyton rubrum is the most frequently isolated species. 1,2,4,11,13,14,17,27,[33][34][35]39,40,42,46,48,53,55 Also, in our patients Trichophyton rubrum was the most frequently involved dermatophyte (6 out of 18 patients), followed by Microsporum canis (4 patients). Other dermatophytes responsible for tinea manuum are Epidermophyton floccosum, 20 Microsporum canis, 45 Trichophyton interdigitale, 37,47,50 Trichophyton mentagrophytes, 23,44 Trichophyton tonsurans, 3,28 Trichophyton verrucosum 21,36 and Trichophyton violaceum.…”

“…Epidemiological studies on tinea manuum have been carried out in several countries: Denmark, 3 Poland, 8,34 Greece, 22,27,48 Libya, 13,14 Senegal, 51 Nigeria, 40 Syria, 52 Iran, 9,16,20,23,30,32,36,37,44,45,47,50,53,55 China, 24,35,46 Japan 33,42 and the United States. 1,2 Incidence of tinea manuum is extremely changeable: 4.4% of all superficial mycoses in Poland, 8 .5% in Greece, 27 .6% in Libya, 13,14 in Syria, 52 from 4.2 37 to 16.4% 50 in Iran, 13.5% in China.…”