Clonal outbreak of Trichophyton tonsurans tinea capitis gladiatorum among wrestlers in Adana, Turkey.

Tinea capitis gladiatorum and tinea corporis gladiatorum caused by the anthropophilic dermatophyte Trichophyton tonsurans are well-known clinical entities in individuals involved in combat sports e.g., wrestlers and judo practitioners. We present an outbreak of Trichophyton tonsurans tinea capitis gladiatorum among wrestlers at a boarding school in Adana, Turkey. Fourteen of the 29 wrestlers examined (48.3%) harbored the pathogen, including eight asymptomatic scalp carriers, fi ve with tinea capitis superfi cialis, and one asymptomatic trunk carrier. Dermatophytes were isolated from samples of the neck (1), nape (1), trunk (3) and inguinal area (2) in four of the fi ve tinea capitis cases. A total of fi ve inanimate objects, i.e., two wrestling mats, two pillowcases, and one sheet were also found to be positive for T. tonsurans . Mixed-marker strain typing examining 24 sequence variations in 12 gene loci confi rmed that the outbreak was caused by a single strain of T. tonsurans .