Athlete's Foot Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Athlete's Foot, including details on tinea, causes, treatment, prevention.

Tinea capitis among rural school children of the district of Magude, in Maputo province, Mozambique.

Sidat MM, Correia D, Buene TP

Department of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine, University Eduardo Mondlane, Maputo, Mozambique. mmsidat@yahoo.com.br

The study was carried out in two rural primary schools of the District of Magude, the largest district of Maputo Province in 2001. The prevalence of tinea capitis in each school was 11.6% (49/422) and 6.8% (18/263) and affected predominantly male children. The most common dermatophytes isolated from both schools were Microsporum audouinii. However, Trichophyton mentagrophytes was also found to be an important causal agent of tinea capitis in the District of Magude. Although the prevalence of tinea capitis found in our study is relatively high compared to previous cross-sectional studies carried out in Mozambique, it is still closely related to the prevalence rates reported for African countries. Tinea capitis continues to be an important public health issue in Mozambique, particularly in primary school setting.

Published 6 October 2006 in Mycoses, 49(6): 480-3.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2005-2008 Athlete's Foot Research Today. All Rights Reserved.