High burden and seasonal variation of paediatric scabies and pyoderma prevalence in The Gambia: A cross-sectional study

by Edwin P. Armitage, Elina Senghore, Saffiatou Darboe, Momodou Barry, Janko Camara, Sulayman Bah, Michael Marks, Carla Cerami, Anna Roca, Martin Antonio, Claire E. Turner, Thushan I. de Silva BackgroundScabies is a WHO neglected tropical disease common in children in low- and middle-income countries. Excoriation of scabies lesions can lead to secondary pyoderma infection, most commonly byStaphyloccocus aureus andStreptococcus pyogenes (group A streptococcus, GAS), with the latter linked to acute post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis (APSGN) and potentially rheumatic heart disease (RHD). There is a paucity of data on the prevalence of these skin infections and their bacterial aetiology from Africa. Methodology/Principal findingsA cross-sectional study, conducted over a four-month period that included the dry and rainy season, was conducted to determine the prevalence of common skin infections in Sukuta, a peri-urban settlement in western Gambia, in children
Source: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases - Category: Tropical Medicine Authors: Source Type: research