Trichophyton tonsurans tinea capitis and tinea corporis: Treatment and follow-up of four affected family members

We report a Caucasian family of two veterinary practitioners and their two children, ages 2 years and 6 months, simultaneously infected with the derma tophyte Trochophyton tonsurans, causing tinea capitis and tinea corporis in the children and tinea corporis in the parents. The parents and older chil d were successfully treated with oral terbinafine, The infant clinically re sponded to treatment with topical terbinafine and ketoconazole shampoo but presented with recurrent tinea capitis 12 months later, from which T, tonsu rans was cultured. At this time, scalp-brush samples from the other family members failed to culture any fungi, and neither were fungi isolated from t he family hairbrushes. The infant then received oral terbinafine, resulting in clinical and mycologic cure, After a further 12 months follow-up, there has been no mycologic evidence of recurrence in any family member.