Disseminated cutaneous phaeohyphomycosis due to Cladophialophora bantiana.

Cladophialophora bantiana is a neurotropic dematiaceous fungus which only rarely affects the skin. We report a case of disseminated cutaneous phaeohyphomycosis caused by Cladophialophora bantiana in an immunocompromised female who presented with multiple pyogenic granuloma-like nodules, dermatophytosis-like plaque, and subcutaneous cysts on the upper and lower extremities without systemic involvement. Biopsy revealed black yeasts resembling sclerotic bodies and culture yielded irregular, velvety, grey colonies with black reverse. Excision of the nodules and treatment with oral itraconazole 100 mg twice daily resulted in complete clinical resolution within two months, following which itraconazole was administered for another 4 months.

Cutaneous zygomycosis: a possible postoperative complication in immunocompetent individuals.

Fungi in the class of zygomycetes usually produce serious infections in diabetics and immunocompromised hosts. Cutaneous zygomycosis is a less common form, with an unpredictable extent of anatomical involvement and clinical course. Here, we report two cases of primary cutaneous zygomycosis as postoperative complications in otherwise healthy females. Zygomycosis was suspected and specimens from the surgical debridement were examined by microbiological and histopathological studies for confirming the clinical diagnosis. Rapid diagnosis, liposomal amphotericin B, and proper debridement of affected tissue are necessary to avoid a fatal outcome.

Mucocutaneous nasal histoplasmosis in an immunocompetent young adult.

A case of mucocutaneous nasal histoplasmosis in an immunocompetent host is described below. A 30-year-old male had a broadened nose with swelling and repeated blockage of nasal passages for the past six months. Diagnosis was made on the basis of histological demonstration of characteristic yeast cells of Histoplasma capsulatum var. capsulatum occurring within histiocytes and extracellularly in stained smears of fine needle aspirates and biopsy from the lesions in ala of the nose and perioral region. The patient showed appreciable regression of lesions after three weeks of itraconazole therapy but was not available for re-assessment.

Reactivity of fungal organisms in tissue sections using anti-mycobacteria antibodies.

Sixty-four cases of deep fungal infections diagnosed using PAS or silver stains and 18 control cases of sarcoidosis, M. tuberculosis and M. leprae infection were stained using commercial polyclonal antibody raised against M. paratuberculosis (MP), M. Duvalii (MD), and Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG). Nine of 13 cases of sporotrichosis stained positively using anti-MP antibody only; 13 of 14 cases of histoplasmosis stained with anti-BCG, anti-MD, and anti-MP; seven cases of cryptococcosis had only focal staining of rare individual organisms within masses of negative organisms; seven of eight cases of coccidioidomycosis stained predominantly with anti-BCG and anti-MP; eight cases of aspergillus had focal (1 to 5% of organisms) staining of hyphae with anti-BCG and anti-MD; and four of 12 cases of Candida infection showed focal nonspecific staining with both antibodies and nonimmune serum. Control cases of sarcoidosis exhibited no staining with any of the three antibodies, whereas cases of mycobacterial infection showed staining of bacilli and intracellular debris with all three antibodies.