Tinea capitis in a school rural area in Mali

In May 1998, we carried out a prevalence survey of tinea capitis in a rural area in Mall. A total of 371 school children, aged between 5 and 16 years, from the primary school of Moribabougou, at 15 kilometers on the east of B amako were examined. Samples of hair were collected with sterile compress a nd cultures were performed in France. Fourty-six (46) children (12.4 %) presented with clinical lesions of tinea capitis. On 90 samples (24.2 %), we have identified two dermatophyte specie s:Trichophyton soudanense in 55 cases (61.1 %) and Microsporum audouinii in 39 cases (43.3 %), mainly in boys, four had a double colonization.