
The Incidence of Tinea
capitis in a Tertiary Care Rural
Hospital - A Study
307-311
Correspondence
Dr Seema Bose, Professor of Microbiology
Rural Medical College, Loni-BK
Ahmednagar – 413736 (M.S.)
E-mail: drseema11ghosh@gmail.com
Tinea capitis continues to contribute to the pathological burden, especially in school children. This study was undertaken to document the clinicomycological pattern of the patients who were infected with Tinea capitis, who attended the dermatology OPD in a rural hospital of Maharashtra and to find out the type of infection from the close contacts of the patients. Hair and skin scrapings were obtained from 79 clinically suspected cases of Tinea capitis over a period of one year. In the suspected contacts, brushes and moistened sterile carpet discs were used to collect the samples. Dermatophytes wereisolated from the samples and were identified by conventional methods. Out of the 79 suspected cases of Tinea capitis, 19(24.05%) were culturepositive. The commonest isolate was Trichophyton mentagrophytes 9(47.36%), followed by Microsporum gypseum, Microsporum canis and Trichophyton rubrum. It was seen more commonly in the 5 – 10 years age group, i.e. 12(63.15%). The male: female ratio was 2.8:1. The seborrhoid type was the commonest clinical type, 9(47.36%). Out of 26(32.91%) close contacts of the patients, 6(7.59%) were culture positive and the isolates were the same as that which were obtained from the patients.