Background: Tinea capitis (T.capitis) is a disease caused by superficial fungal infection of the scalp, eyebrows and eyelashes, with a propensity for attacking hair shafts and follicles. There is certainly ample evidence that there is massive contamination of school rooms by viable spores in classes where cases have occurred.
Objective: Determine clinical and mycological profile of T.capitis among primary school children and evaluate the sensitivity of KOH microscopy and culture.
.Patients and Methods: A total of one hundred children were examined for evidence of T.capitis in Dermatology Outpatient Clinic of Benha University Hospital. They were exposed to KOH examination and cultures on Sabouraud's dextrose agar (SDA) and Dermasel agar.
Results: The results from microscopic examination by KOH were 64%, from culture by SDA were 80% and culture on Dermasel agar were 82% positive. Trichophyton mentagrophytes was isolated in 25.7%, M.canis in 24.4%, T.violaceum in 14.6%, both M.audouinii and E. floccosum in 9.7 %, both T.schoenleinii and T.tonsurans in 5 6.1% and lastly T.rubrum in 33.7%.
Conclusion: Dermatophytes cultured on Oxoid Dermasel agar showed characteristic colonial morphology with typical pigmentation, less chance for contamination and rapid diagnosis. T. mentagrophytes (zoophilic) was the most common isolated dermatophytes (25.7%), followed by M. canis(zoophilic) (24.4%).
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