Abstract
(Elewski BE. Tinea capitis: a current perspective. J Am Acad Dermatol 2000;42:1-20). The author reports an increase in the number of pediatric tinea capitis infections in the United States and elsewhere in the world. Furthermore, according to the author, current cases of anthropophilic tinea capitis in Western Europe are predominantly due to Trichophyton tonsurans. According to our data, we cannot support the author’s estimation, at least for the metropolitan areas of Munich, Germany, and Graz, Austria. From 1995 through 1999, the number of culturepositive childhood causes of tinea capitis per year at our outpatient clinics were 139, 132, 121, 87, and 152, respectively. Only in 1995 were two cases of tinea capitis caused by T tonsurans identified (unpublished data). Although it is not clear whether this number of detected tinea capitis cases presenting to our dermatological departments reflects the situation within the entire community, we do not believe there is a significant increase of tinea capitis infections or any substantial role for T tonsurans in eliciting current cases of anthropophilic tinea capitis in Central Europe. To elicit the true number of new tinea capitis infections as well as the causative fungi, more epidemiologic studies in different parts of the world, including Europe, are warranted.
Published Version
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