Trichophyton tonsurans tinea capitis in the San Francisco Bay area: increased infection demonstrated in a 20-year survey of fungal infections from 1974 to 1994.

Tinea capitis caused by Trichophyton tonsurans has been increasing in the United States for the past 25 years. A retrospective study of dermatophyte culture data at the University of California, San Francisco, and a parallel study of patient visits for tinea capitis at an affiliated hospital demonstrates a dramatic rise in Trichophyton tonsurans tinea capitis in the San Francisco Bay area.