Resumo

CAVALLERA, E.; ORTEGA, J.  e  ASBATI, M.. Evaluation of a simple and efficient method in diagnosing tinea capitis: toothbrush and eyebrow twezeers.. Rev. Soc. Ven. Microbiol. [online]. 2002, vol.22, n.2, pp.141-143. ISSN 1315-2556.

Summary     Tinea capitis is a frequent pathology in children and sampling to establish the correct diagnosis sometimes represents an uncomfortable and painful procedure in the pediatric population. In this study we have compared two methods for taking the sample, one the conventional procedure of extracting hairs with eyebrow tweezers and the other by brushing the lesion with a common toothbrush.     We evaluated a total of 20 patients from the Mycology Service of the Institute of Biomedicine, Hospital Vargas, Caracas, with suggestive clinical signs and confirmation as tinea capitis.     The group of patients were children between the ages of 2 and 10 years. The time of evolution of the disease was approximately 60 days. Fifteen percent of the patients had antecedents of contact with other patients suffering from tinea capitis and 10% reported a previous episode. Clinically, they showed desquamating plaques in the scalp; only one presented a kerion. With regard to cultures taken with eyebrow tweezers, 14/20 became contaminated with other fungi or with bacteria; just 6 were not contaminated. In contrast, of the cultures obtained with samples taken with the toothbrush, 8 were contaminated and 12 remained uncontaminated.     We conclude that sampling with a toothbrush is as effective as the conventional method. The scales are as rich in fungi as the hairs. Sampling with a toothbrush is a method which is safe, sure and almost painless, which lowers the risk of contamination

Palavras-chave : Tinea capitis; toma de muestra; cepillo de dientes; pinza de cejas.