Dermatophytosis among children of Fulani/Hausa herdsmen living in southeastern Nigeria.

BACKGROUND Dermatophytic infections are a worldwide public health problem. In Nigeria, children of nomadic herdsmen are thought to be more at risk because of their early and continuous exposure to different kinds of animals. However, little is known about the level of infection in these children in southeastern Nigeria or elsewhere within the West African sub-region. OBJECTIVE This study investigated dermatophytic infections among children of nomadic herdsmen living in isolated camps in southeastern Nigeria from October 2008 to May 2009. METHODS 390 children aged between 4 and 17 years with clinically suggestive lesions were sampled. Isolates were identified by microscopy, culture or both. Biochemical tests and sequencing of the ITS2 region of the ribosomal DNA were used to identify isolates with atypical morphology. RESULTS 162 children were confirmed to be infected. Ten different species of dermatophytes were recovered with Trichophyton mentagrophytes showing the highest incidence. There was a significant difference (P < 0.05) in the frequency of isolates recovered among the different age groups screened. No significant (P > 0.05) observations were found according to gender or location of the two camps investigated. CONCLUSION This study suggests that tinea capitis is the predominant clinical type of dermatophytosis among children exposed to different kinds of animals based on parental nomadic lifestyle. It also dominated in children with mixed infections in different anatomical sites. The high prevalence of 41.25% suggests that animal to child transmission may be very common.