Tinea capitis is a fungal infection of the scalp. This disease is primarily caused by dermatophytes that invade the hair shaft. The clinical appearance is typically single or multiple lesions of hair loss that may be accompanied by inflammation, scaling, and pustules. The incidence in girls and females overall has recently increased, although many boys were previously affected. Trichophyton or Microsporum species of dermatophytes transmitted by humans or animals are commonly associated with this disease. The treatment requires an oral antifungal agent such as itraconazole or terbinafine.

View full abstract

Background: Tinea incognito is a dermatophytic infection in which topical or systemic steroids have modified the clinical appearance of the mycosis and mimicking other skin diseases. Objectives: A large retrospective study was carried out to identify the clinical aspects and type of dermatophytes involved in tinea incognito cases in Iran during 1993-2008. Patients: Out of 6325 subjects suspected to have dermatophytoses, 56 patients (29 males, 27 females, mean age 32.6 years) were affected with tinea incognito. Methods: The causative agents were identified macroscopically and microscopically after the clinical samples were subjected to potassium hydroxide examination and culture isolation. Results: The most common type of infection was tinea corporis (32.1%), which significantly affected male patients. The prevalence of the other tineas in decreasing order was as follows: tinea faciei (26.8%), tinea cruris (14.3%), tinea manuum (12.5%), tinea pedis (8.9%), and tinea capitis (5.4%). The clinical features were to some extent diverse, ranging from eczema-like, seborrhoeic dermatitis-like, pyoderma-like and folliculitis to alopecia on scalp, trunk and limbs. Trichophyton verrucosum was the most frequently isolated species representing 33.9% of isolates, followed by T.mentagrophytes (28.6%), T. rubrum (12.5%), Epidermophyton floccosum (10.7%), Microsporum canis (8.9%), T. violaceum (3.6%), and T. schoenleinii (1.8%). Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first broad investigation dealing with tinea incognito in Iran. The etiological agents of tinea incognito in Iran are consistent with those of the general population.

View full abstract

Breakthrough non- Aspergillus mold infections among patients receiving the anti-mold azole antifungal agents like voriconazole or posaconazole have been increasingly reported. We report a case of lung Scedosporium prolificans infection with multiple cavities in a 58-year-old man with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) during voriconazole treatment for probable invasive aspergillosis. Cultures of repeated sputum specimens yielded the same fungus until his death 83 days after diagnosis. S. prolificans should be considered in patients with breakthrough infections receiving voriconazole.

View full abstract

We herein describe five various cases of human infections by Nocardia cyriacigeorgica. The identification included conventional and molecular sequencing tests.
The current study provides further evidences that N. cyriacigeorgica species is a ubiquitous organism capable of establishing long-term infection in healthy and immunocompromised patients.

View full abstract