To explore carrier and infection status of T.tonsurans tinea capitis and characterize the host-pathogen interaction as it relates to the disease presentation. The general hypothesis for this study is as follows: the type of genotypic and phenotypic variant to which a child is exposed accounts for the presentation status observed in Trichophyton tonsurans infection.The global outcome of this investigation is to reveal potential new drug targets designed to improve treatment outcomes in these children.