Cm. Mills et Cm. Philpot, TINEA-CAPITIS IN SOUTH WALES - OBSERVATIONS IN CHANGE OF CAUSATIVE FUNGI, Clinical and experimental dermatology, 19(6), 1994, pp. 473-475
We report an observed change in the causative organisms in 45 consecut
ive cases of tinea capitis seen in the Cardiff area over the last 9 ye
ars. Direct microscopy using potassium hydroxide was positive in all b
ut one case, but this was subsequently positive on culture. This retro
spective analysis shows that more cases are being seen in our departme
nt, and that a higher proportion of cases are due to Trichophyton viol
aceum whereas previously we would have expected the majority of cases
to be due to Microsporum canis. We believe that the change in causativ
e organism that we have identified has important practical and diagnos
tic implications. Endothrix fungi such as T. violaceum do not fluoresc
e under Wood's lamp unlike ectothrix fungi such as M. canis, and there
fore failure to perform adequate mycological examination of specimens
could result in missed diagnoses. We are not aware of this change havi
ng been reported from other UK centres. The finding indicates a need f
or further prospective epidemiological studies to confirm this apparen
t trend.