Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Tinea capitis: a retrospective epidemiological comparative study

  • main topic
  • Published:
Wiener Medizinische Wochenschrift Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

Background

Currently, a wide spectrum of retrospective studies regarding the incidence of TC among children and adults are available in the world literature, but none of them are comparative, aiming to distinguish etiological diversity depending on the different geographic areas.

Objective

This study aimed to investigate the epidemiology of TC in Plovdiv, Bulgaria and Thessaloniki, and Greece, and to compare the results and predominant etiological agents using retrospective comparative analysis for an 11-year time period.

Materials and methods

The subjects included were selected from archives of the Mycological Laboratory of the University Dermatologic Clinic, University Hospital “St. George” Plovdiv, Bulgaria, and the Mycological Laboratory of the First Dermatology Department of Aristotle University Thessaloniki, Greece, by retrospective analysis of data from an 11-year time period (2004–2014). A total count of 374 children aged 0–18, with confirmed diagnosis of TC via direct mycological examination and culture were included (128 children from Plovdiv, Bulgaria, and 246 children from Thessaloniki, Greece). Samples were plated on Sabouraud agar, followed by species identification of the isolated colonies.

Results

Our results demonstrate that the incidence of TC in the region of Bulgaria and Thessaloniki for the investigated period was lower than for the previously reported period. In Plovdiv, Bulgaria, it was 1.20 ± 0.09 % (n = 172 from a total count of 14,278 cases of mycoses), as the disease accounts for 23.10 ± 1.79 % of all mycological infections among the pediatric population and 0.36 ± 0.05 % (n = 49 from a total count of 13,724) among the adults patients in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. The incidence of the disease during the period 2004–2014 in Thessaloniki was 2.49 ± 0.15 % (n = 253 cases of TC from a total count of 10,168 mycoses), as it accounts for approximately 27.06 ± 1.47 % of mycological infections among the pediatric population in Thessaloniki, Greece, and 0.08 ± 0.03 % (n = 7 from a total count of 9259) of the population of adult patients with mycoses. Our study confirmed the presumption that M. canis is the leader among the causative agents in TC in children in both of the included countries, but its presence in the etiology of disease in adult patients was very low and nonsignificant. We categorically identified dominance of the female gender among the children with TC in Plovdiv, Bulgaria; while in Thessaloniki, Greece, the gender distribution had an almost equal ratio of males to females.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that the gender predisposition depends also on the investigated geographic region and the time of the study, rather than only on the causative pathogen and age.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Chan YC, Friedlander SF. New treatments for tinea capitis. Curr Opin Infect Dis. 2004;17(2):97–103.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Chokoeva AA, Zisova L, Chorleva K, Tchernev G. Aspergillus niger – a possible new etiopathogenic agent in Tinea capitis? Presentation of two cases. Braz J Infect Dis. 2016;20(3):303–7. doi:10.1016/j.bjid.2016.01.002.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Afshar P, Vahedi L, Ghasemi M, Mardanshahi A. Epidemiology of tinea capitis in northeast Iran: a retrospective analysis from 1998 to 2012. Int J Dermatol. 2015;55(6):640–4. doi:10.1111/ijd.12888.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Zhan P, Li D, Wang C, Sun J, Geng C, Xiong Z, Seyedmousavi S, Liu W, de Hoog GS. Epidemiological changes in tinea capitis over the sixty years of economic growth in China. Med Mycol. 2015;53(7):691–8. doi:10.1093/mmy/myv057.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Gilaberte Y, Rezusta A, Gil J, Sáenz-Santamaría MC, Coscojuela C, Navarro M, Zubiri ML, Moles B, Rubio MC. Tinea capitis in infants in their first year of life. Br J Dermatol. 2004;151(4):886–90, Review.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. del Boz J, Crespo V, Rivas-Ruiz F, de Troya M. A 30-year survey of paediatric tinea capitis in southern Spain. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2011;25(2):170–4. doi:10.1111/j.1468-3083.2010.03733.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Ndiaye M, Diongue K, Seck MC, Badiane AS, Diallo MA, Deme AB, Ndiaye YD, Dieye B, Diallo S, Ndoye NW, Ndir O, Ndiaye D. Epidemiological profile of Tinea capitis in Dakar (Senegal). A 6‑year retrospective study (2008–2013). J Mycol Med. 2015;25(2):169–76.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Zaraa I, Hawilo A, Aounallah A, Trojjet S, El Euch D, Mokni M, Osman BA. Inflammatory Tinea capitis: a 12-year study and a review of the literature. Mycoses. 2013;56(2):110–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Nenoff P, Krüger C, Ginter-Hanselmayer G, Tietz HJ. Mycology – an update. Part 1: Dermatomycoses: causative agents, epidemiology and pathogenesis. J Dtsch Dermatol Ges. 2014;12(3):188–209, quiz 210, 188–211; quiz 212.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Kechia FA, Kouoto EA, Nkoa T, Nweze EI, Fokoua DC, Fosso S, Somo MR. Epidemiology of tinea capitis among school-age children in Meiganga, Cameroon. J Mycol Med. 2014;24(2):129–34.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Ginter-Hanselmayer G, Weger W, Ilkit M, Smolle J. Epidemiology of tinea capitis in Europe: current state and changing patterns. Mycoses. 2007;50(Suppl 2):6–13.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Balci E, Gulgun M, Babacan O, Karaoglu A, Kesik V, Yesilkaya S, Turker T, Tok D, Koc AN. Prevalence and risk factors of tinea capitis and tinea pedis in school children in Turkey. J Pak Med Assoc. 2014;64(5):514–8.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Oke OO, Onayemi O, Olasode OA, Omisore AG, Oninla OA. The prevalence and pattern of superficial fungal infections among school children in Ile-Ife, south-western Nigeria. Dermatol Res Pract. 2014;2014:Article ID 842917. doi:10.1155/2014/842917.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Nenoff P, Krüger C, Schaller J, Ginter-Hanselmayer G, Schulte-Beerbühl R, Tietz HJ. Mycology – an update part 2: dermatomycoses: clinical picture and diagnostics. J Dtsch Dermatol Ges. 2014;12(9):749–77.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Shy R. Tinea corporis and tinea capitis. Pediatr Rev. 2007;28(5):164–74.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding.

No funding sources.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Medical Faculty, Medical University of Plovdiv, Vasil Aprilov 15A blvd., 4002, Plovdiv, Bulgaria

    A. A. Chokoeva &  L. Zisova MD

  2. First Dermatology Department, Aristotle University Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece

    E. Sotiriou MD

  3. Department of Social Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Public Health, Medical University of Plovdiv, 4002, Plovdiv, Bulgaria

    T. Miteva-Katrandzhieva PhD

Authors
  1. A. A. Chokoeva
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. L. Zisova MD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. E. Sotiriou MD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. T. Miteva-Katrandzhieva PhD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to A. A. Chokoeva.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

A. A. Chokoeva, L. Zisova, E. Sotiriou, and T. Miteva-Katrandzhieva declare that they have no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Chokoeva, A.A., Zisova, L., Sotiriou, E. et al. Tinea capitis: a retrospective epidemiological comparative study. Wien Med Wochenschr 167, 51–57 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10354-016-0493-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10354-016-0493-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation