Abstract

This article describes a study undertaken to evaluate the prevalence of dermatophytoses among one hundred and ten children between the ages of 3 to 14 years in rural primary school children of Barkin-Ladi Local Government Area, in association with the family livestock keeping, family hygiene level, environmental conditions of the schools and identify interventions to improve environmental health. Out of the number sampled, 108 (98.2%) were positive for fungal infections and 2 (1.8%) were negative was found to be highly significant at 5 and 10% level of probability at (P = 0.01 and P = 0.05). Of these 108 fungal isolates, 91(84.3%) were dermatophytes while 17 (15.7%) were non-dermatophytes. Among the pupils investigated, 56.5% fungal isolates were from males while 43.5% from females. From the site of fungal infections on the body of the pupils screened, 90 (83.4%) were from the head (hair) which issignificant at 5 and 10% level of probability at (P = 0.01 and P = 0.05) compared to, 13 (12%) from the body trunks and 5 (4.6%) from the face. The dermatophytes isolates were;Trichophyton mentagrophytes, 26 (24%), Trichophyton violaceum, 11 (10.2%) Microsporum audouinii 10 (9.3%), Trichophyton verrucosum 8 (7.4%), Microsporum ferrugineum 8 (7.4%),Microsporum canis 7 (6%), Trichophyton tonsurans 6(5.5%), Trichophyton concentricum 4 (3.7%), Trichophyton schoenleinii 3 (2.8%) and Trichophyton megninii 2 (1.9%) andTrichophyton rubrum 6 (5.5%). The non-dermatophytes were; Aspergillus fumigatus 4 (3.7%),Mucor species 3 (2.8%), Penicillium species 2 (1.9%), Aspergillus niger 2(1.9%), Aspergillus flavus 2(1.9%), Candida albicans 2 (1.9%), Trichoderma species 1 (0.9%) and Alternariaspecies 1 (0.9%). The results showed the role of family hygiene standards and environmental sanitary quality in dermatophytoses among rural primary school children.

Key words: Pollution, River Nile, terrestrial fungi and keratinophilic fungi.