Abstract
Dermatophytes are worldwide in distribution and dermatophytosis is a common problem in developing countries. It can occur in both sexes and all ages but the diseases are more common in school children. This study attempted to determine the prevalence and etiological agents of dermatophyte infections of hair, skin, and nail among primary school children in Harari Regional State from April to June 2015. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 428 primary school children. Skin scrapings, hair samples, and nail clippings were collected from children who showed dermatophytosis. All specimens were subjected to microscopic examination and culture. Following a meticulous collection, data was analysed using SPSS version 21. Of the 428 school children, 211 (49%) male and 217 (51%) female, 100 (23.4%) had culture confirmed dermatophytosis and tinea capitis took the overall prevalence of 18% (77/428). Trichophyton violaceum was isolated from 43 samples, followed by Trichophyton rubrum in 24. The highest prevalence of dermatophytosis was seen in the age group 5–9 years and grade levels of 1-2 (p<0.05). As a result, this study found a high prevalence of dermatophytosis in the Harari’s Regional State school children and tinea capitis was the predominant clinical finding which needs an intervention.
Highlights
Fungal infections of the skin, hair, and nails due to dermatophytes are a common problem across the globe
Four hundred twenty-eight children participated from nine different primary schools which are found in Harari Regional State including the city and its suburb
This study found that tinea capitis was the predominant clinical presentation 77/115 (66.6%) which is similar to other studies done in African school children with > 50% prevalence [12, 15], but in Barcelona it accounts only for 8.8% (3/34); instead, tinea pedis was leading [14]
Summary
Fungal infections of the skin, hair, and nails due to dermatophytes are a common problem across the globe. Tinea pedis and onychomycosis are the most prevalent clinical forms in western countries, while tinea capitis and tinea corporis are the most frequent forms in tropical areas [1, 3]. Individuals of both sexes and all ages are susceptible to dermatophytoses; tinea capitis is more common in prepubescent children, and tinea cruris and tinea pedis are primarily diseases of adult males [2]. Tinea capitis is the most prevalent clinical form in African younger age population [3, 4]
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