Epidemiological characteristics of microsporia in the Republic of Tatarstan

BACKGROUND: Microsporia is a widespread type of dermatomycosis, especially among the children's population, representing a medical and social problem, because of the duration and high cost of treatment and the moral and material damage incurred to the patients and their family members. The absence of regulatory documents (except for clinical recommendations) regarding the epidemiology of this nosology, the organization and control of mandatory anti-epidemic measures, and the timing of their execution determine the relevance of infection.

AIM: To present the epidemiological characteristics of the incidence of microsporia in the population of the Republic of Tatarstan with clinical and epidemiological analyses of the outpatient records of patients in the Nizhnekamsk region.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of the incidence of microsporia in the study population was conducted with reference to the official statistical forms for 2011–2021. The analysis of the outpatient charts and medical histories of the residents of Nizhnekamsk district who were diagnosed with microsporia and consulted a dermatovenerologist in 2020–2022 and were then hospitalized in a skin and venereological dispensary was selectively carried out from the Journal of Infectious Diseases (format no. 060/y). The data were processed in Microsoft Excel (USA) and Startech (Russia).

RESULTS: During 2011–2021, a statistically significant trend of a decrease in the incidence of microsporia in the Russian Federation was noted along with a corresponding increase in the Volga Federal District and the Republic of Tatarstan, with the residents of Tatarstan accounting for 66% of newly detected cases of microsporia in Russia and 59% in the Volga Federal District. High rates of microsporia incidence in the republic were registered among the city residents (81.3%). During the period of analyses in Tatarstan, among the reported cases, children aged 0–14 years (77%) with microsporia accounted for 77% of all cases, which included 53.7% girls. Among adults, persons aged 18–29 years accounted for 9% of all cases, of which 73.2% were women.

When analyzing the outpatient records of patients-residents in the Nizhnekamsk district of the Republic of Tatarstan (n=1010), the main subgroup with microsporia was identified as children aged 7–14 years (n=519 [51.4%]). Every year, 53.9% of schoolchildren and 28.6% of preschool children get dermatophytes. The source of microsporia infection was stray and domestic cats for 298 (29.5%) cases. The major proportion of patients with microsporia, that is, 83.9% (n=847), showed localization of the process on smooth skin. In children, microspore was represented by smooth skin lesions in 744 (80.9%) cases and by scalp in 175 (19.1%). In adults, 83 (91.2%) cases of smooth skin lesions and 8 (8.8%) cases of scalp cases were registered.

CONCLUSIONS: Microsporia remains relevant owing to its high prevalence, especially among children, which dictates the need for anti-epidemic, therapeutic, and preventive measures aimed at timely detection and isolation of patients infected with this mycosis, as well as trapping, isolation, treatment, and vaccination of homeless domestic animals, who are the main sources of the disease. The continued growth of morbidity rates in Tatarstan is an indicator of the instability of the epidemiological situation, indicating the need to improve the measure toward preventing their spread in cooperation with the veterinary service.