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Tinea capitis in two elderly women: transmission at the hairdresser
Author(s) -
Takwale A.,
Agarwal S.,
Holmes S.C.,
BerthJones J.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
british journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.304
H-Index - 179
eISSN - 1365-2133
pISSN - 0007-0963
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2133.2001.04154.x
Subject(s) - tinea capitis , microsporum canis , scalp , dermatology , medicine , hair loss , terbinafine , infectivity , transmission (telecommunications) , antifungal , immunology , itraconazole , virus , electrical engineering , engineering
Tinea capitis is rare in the elderly. We report cases of two elderly women who presented to our dermatology clinic within 8 weeks of each other, with scalp scaling and alopecia. In both cases, Microsporum canis grew on fungal culture of their hair, and required prolonged treatment with terbinafine. Neither of them gave a history of contact with young children or any animals. Both were fairly fit and not systemically immunocompromised. However, both had been regularly visiting the same hairdresser, during the presumed period of infectivity, making this the most likely source of infection.