Tinea Capitis

What is Tinea Capitis

Tinea capitis is a disease caused by superficial fungal infection of the skin of the scalp, eyebrows, and eyelashes, with a propensity for attacking hair shafts and follicles. Along with hair loss, the scalp surface shows seborrheic dermatitis-like scaling, impetigo-like crusting, pustules, inflammatory nodules or kerion. Identify tinea with KOH culture onto a fungal media. No longer a disease confined to children. The term tinea originally indicated larvae of insects that fed on clothes and books.

Tinea capitis is characteristically a fungal infection affecting children between 4 and 14 years of age If infection suspected, all family members should be examined.

Mycology(principal dermatophytes)

Microsporum audouinii
Microsporum canis
Microsporum distortum
Microsporum gypseum
Trichophyton megninii
Trichophyton mentagrophytes
Trichophyton rubrum
Trichophyton schoenleinii
Trichophyton tonsurans
Trichophyton verrucosum