Survey of Tinea Capitis among Primary School Pupils in Sapele and Ethiope West Local Government Areas of Delta State, Nigeria

Abstract

Tinea capitis is a common dermatophyte infection associated with pupils of primary school age group. Dermatophytosis is relatively common in tropical and sub-tropical regions where warm and humid climates provide a favorable environment for the fungal to thrive. Prevalence in many of these regions are unknown and shift in etiology has frequently been observed. Hence the objective of this paper was to carry out a survey of Tinea capitis among primary school pupils in Sapele and Ethiope West Local Government Areas in Delta State, Nigeria using standard procedures and estimating its prevalence on the scalp of primary school pupil. Pupils (5,876) aged 4-13 years in government-owned primary schools located in urban and rural areas of Sapele and Ethiope West Local Government Areas, were physically screened for hair-scalp fungal infection. Mycological examination revealed Microsporum audouinii (24%) as the most implicated dermatophyte in these local government areas. Boys; 190 (65%) were more infected than girls 103 (35%) and prevalence was among children between 4-7 years old (51%). Thus male pupil are affected by Microsporum audouinii in these local government areas under study.