title: Griseofulvin and Fluconazole Reduce Transmission of Tinea Capitis in Schoolchildren.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We evaluated the efficacy of griseofulvin and fluconazole in reducing the potential for person-to-person transmission of tinea capitis (TC) in children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Children with TC with positive fungal cultures were treated with griseofulvin 25 mg/kg/day (group A) or fluconazole 6 mg/kg/day (group B) for at least 21 days and up to 12 weeks until cure was achieved. Clinical and mycologic examinations occurred before treatment and on days 3, 7, 10, 14, and 21 of treatment. During each visit, mycologic examination was performed from scalp lesions of children and fingertips of medical staff and parents after a brief touch of the patient's scalp lesions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ninety patients were enrolled: 48 treated with griseofulvin and 42 with fluconazole. The predominant species were Trichophyton violaceum (n = 44) and Microsporum canis (n = 41), followed by Trichophyton mentagrophytes (n = 3) and Trichophyton rubrum (n = 2). Ten days after treatment more than 75% of patients from both treatment groups were noncontagious. At day 21, all patients from group A were noncontagious and two (7%) with positive culture of M. canis from group B were still contagious.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  No statistically significant differences were found between treatment groups. Griseofulvin and fluconazole reduced the potential for disease transmission in children with TC, with griseofulvin being more effective for M. canis infections, although children with TC may be potentially contagious even after up to 3 weeks of treatment. These data should be considered regarding school attendance of children with TC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat-Gan, Israel.|Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Avner
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shemer
authors.affiliation: Soroka University Medical Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Marcello H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Grunwald
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.|Mediprobe Research, London, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Aditya K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat-Gan, Israel.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lyakhovitsky
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University of Mississippi, Jackson, Mississippi.|Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.
authors.forename: Carlton Ralph
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Daniel
authors.affiliation: Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.|Department of Dermatology, Meir Medical Center, Kfar-Saba, Israel.
authors.forename: Boaz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Amichai
mesh_terms: D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003140:Communicable Disease Control / Q000379:methods; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015725:Fluconazole / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006118:Griseofulvin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D012535:Scalp; D014006:Tinea Capitis / Q000635:transmission*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D006118:Griseofulvin; D015725:Fluconazole