Dermatophytosis among Schoolchildren in Three Eco-climatic Zones of Mali

by Oumar Coulibaly, Abdoulaye K. Kone, Safiatou Niaré-Doumbo, Siaka Goïta, Jean Gaudart, Abdoulaye A. Djimdé, Renaud Piarroux, Ogobara K. Doumbo, Mahamadou A. Thera, Stéphane Ranque Background Dermatophytosis, and particularly the subtype tinea capitis, is common among African children; however, the risk factors associated with this condition are poorly understood. To describe the epidemiology of dermatophytosis in distinct eco-climatic zones, three cross-sectional surveys were conducted in public primary schools located in the Sahelian, Sudanian and Sudano-Guinean eco-climatic zones in Mali. Principal Findings Among 590 children (average age 9.7 years) the overall clinical prevalence of tinea capitis was 39.3%. Tinea capitis prevalence was 59.5% in the Sudano-Guinean zone, 41.6% in the Sudanian zone and 17% in the Sahelian eco-climatic zone. Microsporum audouinii was isolated primarily from large and/or microsporic lesions. Trichophyton soudanense was primarily isolated from trichophytic lesions. Based on the multivariate analysis, tinea capitis was independently associated with male gender (OR = 2.51, 95%CI [1.74–3.61], P
Source: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases - Category: Tropical Medicine Authors: Source Type: research