Epidemiology of Tinea Capitis in Meshkin Shahr Primary Schools

Tina capitis is among the most prevalent human infections induced by dermatophytes. Some dermatphytic factors are globally widespread while some others are geographically determined. A number of similar researches have been conducted in Iran however, due to the geographically diverse etiology of the disease and lack of similar research in Meshkin Shahr, the present study was conducted to determine the prevalence of tinea capitis in primary schools of this city. In order to determine the frequency of the tinea capitis in the students of primary school in Meshkin Shahr, children in 13 schools including 2470 boys and 3012 girls were studied. For this purpose first of all the children’s scalps were observed clinically and the specimens such as hair and scale were taken from 228 pupils. The specimens were examined by direct and culture methods. Of all the subjects, 38 students (0.7%) had tinea capitis. The prevalence rate was 0.8% and 0.6% among boys and girls respectively, which was statistically significant. The high degree of disease was seen in 11 year old students (39.5%) and the main source of infection was Trichophyton violaceum. Desptie a decrease in tinea capitis among children especially in primary school pupils nationwide, there is still a considerable (0.7%) rate of prevalence in Meshkin Shahr which demands attention.