Bacterial skin infections in preschool and school children in coastal Tanzania

Abstract

In coastal Tanzania, 1,855 preschool and school children were studied for pyoderma (superficial bacterial infections of the skin exclusive of secondarily infected scabies) and for scabies. The predisposing personal, socleoeconomic, and hygienic variables for both conditions were studied also. Pyoderma lesions and some secondarily infected scabies were cultured aerobically for bacterial isolates and the predisposing factors were determined by interviews, home visits, and physical examinations. Pyoderma was present in 6.9% and scabies in 16.6% of the children; both combined totalled 23.5% of the children. Both conditions were more common in rural than in urban environments, but scabies was most common in populations with poor socioeconomic and hygienic conditions. The predisposing factors included trauma, insect bites, hot and damp coastal weather, and poor socioeconomic and hygienic conditions.