title: Clonal outbreak of Trichophyton tonsurans tinea capitis gladiatorum among wrestlers in Adana, Turkey.
abstract: Tinea capitis gladiatorum and tinea corporis gladiatorum caused by the anthropophilic dermatophyte Trichophyton tonsurans are well-known clinical entities in individuals involved in combat sports, e.g., wrestlers and judo practitioners. We present an outbreak of Trichophyton tonsurans tinea capitis gladiatorum among wrestlers at a boarding school in Adana, Turkey. Fourteen of the 29 wrestlers examined (48.3%) harbored the pathogen, including eight asymptomatic scalp carriers, five with tinea capitis superficialis, and one asymptomatic trunk carrier. Dermatophytes were isolated from samples of the neck (1), nape (1), trunk (3) and inguinal area (2) in four of the five tinea capitis cases. A total of five inanimate objects, i.e., two wrestling mats, two pillowcases, and one sheet were also found to be positive for T. tonsurans. Mixed-marker strain typing examining 24 sequence variations in 12 gene loci confirmed that the outbreak was caused by a single strain of T. tonsurans.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Cukurova, Adana, Turkey. milkit@cu.edu.tr
authors.forename: Macit
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ilkit
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ali Saracli
authors.forename: Hatice
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kurdak
authors.forename: Aygul
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Turac-Bicer
authors.forename: Tuba
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yuksel
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karakas
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schuenemann
authors.forename: Susan M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Abdel-Rahman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D056352:Athletes; D002648:Child; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D012574:Schools; D012867:Skin / Q000382:microbiology; D013334:Students; D014006:Tinea Capitis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D014249:Trichophyton / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D004271:DNA, Fungal; D005656:Fungal Proteins