A Case of Cutaneous Infection by Alternaria alternata
Abstract
Alternaria(A.) species are common saprophyte found in the environment such as soil, air, and plants. They are not usually pathogenic in humans but recently, infections by these fungi have occasionally been reported, occurring mostly in immunocompromised patients. They can cause hypersensitivity pneumonitis, bronchial asthma, or allergic rhinitis and rarely skin infection. A 76-year-old man presented with multiple erythematous papules, plaque and pustules with purpuric patches on both forearms and dorsal hands for 6 months. He had been treated for Parkinson's disease and dementia for 3 years but had not been taking any immunosuppressants. Direct smear with KOH was negative. Histopatholoigically, neutrophilic abscess, suppurative granulomatous inflammation and round spores were observed in the dermis. Periodic acid-Schiff and Methenamine silver stains revealed round to oval shaped spores. The biopsy specimen was cultured in potato dextrose agar and a cottony olive green to gray colored colony with black to brown
reverse grew at 7 days of culture. The slide culture stained with lactophenol-cotton blue showed brown septated hyphae and obclavate conidia with brown muriform septation. The nucleotide sequences of the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region of cultured colonies and paraffin blocks of biopsy specimen were identical to that of A. alternata. He was treated with topical ketoconazole cream application for 4 months, and healed leaving hyperpigmentation with scales.
Keywords
Alternaria alternata Cutaneous alternariosis Ketoconazole
KJMM
2014 September;19(3):76-81(6). Epub 2016 February 16
Copyright © 2014 by Korean Journal of Medical Mycology
Language
Korean/English
Author
Seung Hyun Sohng; Department of Dermatology, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Daegu, Korea
Yeon Woong Kim; Department of Dermatology, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Daegu, Korea
Byeong Su Kim; Department of Dermatology, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Daegu, Korea
Jin Hwa Choi; Department of Dermatology, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Daegu, Korea
Dong Hoon Shin; Department of Dermatology, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Daegu, Korea
Jong Soo Choi; Department of Dermatology, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Daegu, Korea
Corresponding
Jong Soo Choi, Department of Dermatology, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, 170 Hyeonchung-ro, Nam-gu, Daegu, 705-717, Korea. Tel: +82-53-620-3160, Fax: +82-53-622-2216, e-mail: jschoi@med.yu.ac.kr
Publication history
Received 18 July 2014;
Revised 23 July 2014;
Accepted 28 August 2014.
Acknowledgements
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Seung Hyun Sohng
Department of Dermatology, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Daegu, Korea
Yeon Woong Kim
Department of Dermatology, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Daegu, Korea
Byeong Su Kim
Department of Dermatology, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Daegu, Korea
Jin Hwa Choi
Department of Dermatology, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Daegu, Korea
Dong Hoon Shin
Department of Dermatology, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Daegu, Korea
Jong Soo Choi
Department of Dermatology, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Daegu, Korea
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