Tinea capitis in two black African adults with HIV infection

Abstract

Tinea capitis is rare in adults, although a few cases have been described in HIV-infected patients. We present two cases in black African adults who were HIV positive. In one, the condition led to the diagnosis of HIV infection. It is possible that the rarity of tinea capitis in HIV-positive adults could be related to increased colonization of their scalp by Pityrosporum (Malassezia) spp. In patients well controlled with an antiviral therapy, the treatment of tinea capitis seems no more difficult than in non-immunosuppressed patients. There is possibly a relation between clinical presentation and degree of immunodeficiency.