Tinea Capitis Information - Symptoms and Treatment

Tinea capitis is a skin infection which is caused by the "dermatophyte fungus" which is an infection of the scalp by this mold-like fungi.Hair can be infected with Trichophyton (abbreviated as "T".) and Microsporum ("M".) fungi. . The hair of head, eyebrows, eyelashes may also be involved. The skin may be involved alone, as is seen with infection due to Trichophyton rubrum. Certain species of dermatophytes are endemic only in particular parts of the world. Zoophilic fungal infections of the scalp are rare.

Dermatophytic fungi causing tinea capitis can be divided into anthropophilic and zoophilic organisms. There are three forms of hair infection. In the form known as endothrix, the infection begins by penetration of the hair, and the organism then grows up the interior main axis of the hair where it fragments into arthroconidia. A typical causative agent is T. tonsurans. The exception to the rule about arthroconidia formation is Trichophyton schoenleinii. This organism causes an endothrix-style growth, but without the arthrocondia. Instead, channels are formed within the hair shaft. This is useful diagnostically, as air bubbles move along these channels when an infected hair is immersed in a liquid. This later form of infection, as well as the clinical presentation of scutula, carries the special label Tinea favosa, or favus.

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