Abstract
An outbreak of Trichophyton tonsurans in a women's university judo team occurred in the Hokuriku region in 2009, and we were requested to control the infection. In April 2010, we visited the university and examined all 19 team members. Samples of stripped horny layer from body lesions were obtained with scotch tape, and samples were obtained with hairbrushes. Fungal culture results showed that 7 samples (3, hairbrush; 4, scotch tape) from 6 of 19 members were positive for T. tonsurans. NTS typing revealed all the isolates to be NTS1 in our classification system, which is the most common subtype for judo-related isolates. All 6 patients were successfully treated with oral terbinafine (confirmed by subsequent fungal culture examination in mid-May, 2010). In April 2011, we again visited the university and found that 6 (including 1 previously infected) of the then 14 members were infected by T. tonsurans. We treated them with oral terbinafine, and only one member still showed positive culture results on our sixth visit in June 2011. During our examinations, we found hair loss lesions mimicking black dot ringworm on the scalp of some members, which may have resulted from hair being tied back under a judo rule for female practitioners with long hair. We also discussed the usefulness of the scotch tape sampling for the examination of tinea corporis. Skin Research, 11: 313-318, 2012
