Background: At present, griseofulvin is the only licensed drug for oral treatment of dermatophyte infections in children. Objective: Children were treated with the fungicidal allylamine terbinafine. Efficacy and tolerability were evaluated. Methods: Fifteen children (14 months to 11 years old, below 40 kg body weight) with culture-confirmed tinea capitis or tinea corporis were systemically treated with terbinafine. Five children suffered from tinea capitis, 6 from tinea corporis and 4 from a combined infection of the scalp and body. As causing agents Trichophyton violaceum (5), Microsporum canis (8) and Trichophyton mentagrophytes (2) were isolated. Results: Mycological and clinical cure was achieved in all children after oral treatment with terbinafine for 4–8 weeks. Cure after discontinuation of therapy could be observed in 13 children. Two children with tinea capitis caused by M. canis relapsed within 1–2 months after the end of therapy. The overall tolerability of terbinafine in children was good; 1 child suffered from acute urticaria during treatment, which might be related to the medication. Conclusions: The applied therapy regimes were effective in most cases. In scalp infections by M. canis, the children should be treated for more than 4 weeks or with a higher dose. To find the optimal dosage and treatment periods for children, further prospective studies are necessary.

Keywords:
Tinea capitis, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Microsporum canis, Trichophyton violaceum, Terbinafine
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© 1997 S. Karger AG, Basel
1997
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