ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.

Sec. Clinical Infectious Diseases

Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2025.1590315

This article is part of the Research TopicEvolutionary adaptation in human-infecting fungi: Ecological traits and pathogenicityView all 4 articles

TitleTinea capitis in Hainan: A prospective study

Provisionally accepted
Wenai ZhengWenai Zheng1*Feng QiaoFeng Qiao1Xianxu YangXianxu Yang2Xiaozheng TangXiaozheng Tang1Changyan LinChangyan Lin1Qin ChenQin Chen1Zhaobing PanZhaobing Pan3Rongqiang ChenRongqiang Chen4
  • 1Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Fifth People’s Hospital of Hainan Province, Haikou, Hainan Province, China
  • 2Department of Pathology, The Fifth People’s Hospital of Hainan Province, Haikou, Hainan Province, China
  • 3Department of Dermatology, The Fifth People’s Hospital of Hainan Province, Haikou, Hainan Province, China
  • 4Department of Xiuying Outpatient, The Fifth People’s Hospital of Hainan Province, Haikou, Hainan Province, China

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Objective: Tinea capitis, a chronic inflammatory disease of the scalp and hair shafts caused by dermatophyte infections, manifests clinically as erythematous lesions, scaling, alopecia, and pustule formation. Hainan, a tropical island province in China, exhibits distinctive climatic conditions and demographic contact patterns that could shape its pathogen spectrum. However, comprehensive epidemiological data remain scarce. This study analyzes the epidemiological characteristics and pathogen spectrum of tinea capitis in Hainan, China. cases (84.21%). Fungal cultures obtained 45 positive isolates (19 strains in 2023, 26 in 2024), with kerion (inflammatory tinea capitis) exhibiting the highest culture positivity rate, followed by tinea alba. The primary pathogens identified were zoophilic Microsporum canis (M. canis) (20 cases, 43.79%) and anthropophilic Trichophyton rubrum (T. rubrum) (9 strains, 19.57%).Clinical manifestations comprised kerion (44 cases, 57.89%), tinea alba (27 cases, 35.53%), and black dot tinea (5 cases, 6.58%). Kerion cases were predominantly linked to M. canis and T. mentagrophytes (interdigital subtype), whereas tinea alba demonstrated infections by M. canis and T. rubrum. Black dot lesions were additionally observed in M. canis infections.The primary affected group is children ≤10 years old, with the most common pathogenic fungus being zoophilic M. canis, and clinical classification is predominantly kerion. Dermatologists should pay attention to different transmission routes and pathogen spectra.

Keywords: Tinea Capitis, Prospective, Microsporum canis, Epidemiology, pathogenic fungi

Received: 11 Mar 2025; Accepted: 09 Jun 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Zheng, Qiao, Yang, Tang, Lin, Chen, Pan and Chen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Wenai Zheng, Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Fifth People’s Hospital of Hainan Province, Haikou, Hainan Province, China

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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