title: Identification of the causative dermatophyte of tinea capitis in children attending Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital in Uganda by PCR-ELISA and comparison with conventional mycological diagnostic methods.
abstract: Tinea capitis is a dermatophyte infection common among prepubertal children in sub-Saharan Africa and mainly caused by Trichophyton and Microsporum species. Accurate identification is challenging as conventional methods like culture and microscopy are slow and mostly based on morphological characteristics, which make them less sensitive and specific. Modern molecular methods, like polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays, are gaining acceptance and are quick as well as accurate. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical patterns of tinea capitis and to accurately identify the most common causative dermatophytes affecting the scalps of children aged 1 to 16 years attending the Skin Clinic at Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST), Mbarara, Uganda, East Africa, using both conventional mycological methods and PCR-ELISA for detection of dermatophyte DNA. One hundred fifteen clinical samples from children from Western Uganda attending the MUST Skin Clinic with a clinical diagnosis of tinea capitis were analyzed. T. violaceum was identified as the most common causative agent, followed by M. audouinii, T. soudanense, and T. rubrum. The early identification of the causative agent of tinea capitis is a prerequisite for the effective management of the disease, the identification of probable source and the prevention of spreading. Children with tinea capitis in Western Uganda should be treated by systemic therapy rather than topical preparations to ensure high cure rates as the most common causative dermatophytes T. violaceum exhibits an endothrix rather than ectothrix invasion of the hair follicle.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Cornelia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wiegand
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Dermatology, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, Uganda.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mugisha
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Dermatology, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, Uganda.
authors.forename: Grace K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Mulyowa
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Elsner
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Uta-Christina
authors.initials: UC
authors.lastname: Hipler
authors.affiliation: Konsiliarlabor für Dermatophyten, Institut für Mikrobiologie und Hygiene, Universitätsmedizin Berlin-Charité, Deutschland.
authors.forename: Yvonne
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gräser
authors.affiliation: Labor für medizinische Mikrobiologie Mölbis, Germany.
authors.forename: Silke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Uhrlaß
authors.affiliation: Labor für medizinische Mikrobiologie Mölbis, Germany.
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nenoff
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000235:genetics; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008864:Microsporum / Q000145:classification* / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics*; D016533:Mycological Typing Techniques / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013045:Species Specificity; D014006:Tinea Capitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D014249:Trichophyton / Q000145:classification* / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics*; D014454:Uganda
chemical_list: D004271:DNA, Fungal
keywords: Blankophor preparation; PCR-ELISA; Uganda; dermatophyte; fungal culture