RESUMEN
Yaws is a rare skin disease endemic to tropical countries caused by Treponema pertenue. It is highly infectious and spreads through physical contact. In Malaysia, it was presumably eradicated during the 1960s, with the last reported case published in 1985. Due to its rarity, the disease often goes unrecognised and misdiagnosed. Here, we report the case of a 5-year-old aboriginal boy diagnosed with secondary yaws who presented with fever and an incidental finding of chronic painless ulcerated nodules and plaques on his lower limbs and gluteal region. His diagnosis was confirmed serologically with a venereal disease research laboratory lab test and he was successfully treated with a single dose of intramuscular benzathine penicillin G. Primary care physicians should not ignore this disease since its early recognition and appropriate treatment is vital to its eradication, especially in high-risk communities.
RESUMEN
Primary cutaneous lymphomas are rare diseases among the general population, and even rarer in children. Mycosis fungoides (MF) is the most commonly diagnosed form in childhood. Several atypical clinical variants of MF have been reported, and pityriasis lichenoides-like MF (PL-like MF) is a recently described subtype. We report about a rare case of PL-like MF in an 11-year-old Malay boy with a 2-year history of multiple scaly erythematous papules associated with progressive and generalized hypopigmentation. This case report illustrates the significant dilemma in the diagnosis of the disease, particularly in the early stages, because its symptoms can mimic those of many common childhood inflammatory skin disorders. Later, the widespread hypopigmentation obscured the characteristic lesions, leading to misdiagnosis. Moreover, due to unfamiliarity of the disease, the diagnosis of PL-like MF was missed and delayed until only 2 years after the onset of the dermatosis. Therefore, primary care practitioners must have a high index of suspicion for this cutaneous neoplasm in children with persistent or worsening skin lesions, not responding to standard therapy, to ensure timely referral, diagnosis, and treatment.
RESUMEN
Fixed cutaneous sporotrichosis is a differential diagnosis that can be considered in diabetic patients who present with a poorly healing ulcer. Although its prevalence is low, it can occur in patients with immunocompromised status. Here we report a case of a 70-year-old man with diabetes mellitus who presented with a 1-month history of an unhealed ulcer over the tip of his left middle finger. He experienced a cat bite over his left middle finger 1 month prior to the appearance of the lesion. A skin biopsy revealed the presence of Sporothrix schenckii. Oral itraconazole 200 mg twice daily was started empirically and the patient showed marked improvement in the skin lesion after 2 months of therapy.
