High burden and seasonal variation of paediatric scabies and pyoderma prevalence in The Gambia: A cross-sectional study

Background Scabies is a WHO neglected tropical disease common in children in low- and middle-income countries. Excoriation of scabies lesions can lead to secondary pyoderma infection, most commonly by Staphyloccocus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes (group A streptococcus, GAS), with the latter linked to acute post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis (APSGN) and potentially rheumatic heart disease (RHD). There is a paucity of data on the prevalence of these skin infections and their bacterial aetiology from Africa. Methodology/Principal findings A cross-sectional study, conducted over a four-month period that included the dry and rainy season, was conducted to determine the prevalence of common skin infections in Sukuta, a peri-urban settlement in western Gambia, in children
Author summary Scabies is a WHO neglected tropical disease which is common in low- and middle-income countries with tropical climates, which can lead to serious compilations via secondary bacterial infection of skin lesions. Group A streptococcal skin infection is known to cause kidney disease, but may also contribute to rheumatic heart disease. Despite this, little is known about the prevalence of common paediatric skin infections in sub-Saharan Africa, or which bacteria most commonly cause skin infections. We conducted a cross-sectional study of skin infections in The Gambia into the prevalence of scabies, pyoderma and fungal infections in children