Interdigital intertrigo due to Fusarium oxysporum

Authors

1 Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

2 Molecular Biology Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

3 Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.

Abstract

Background and Purpose: Fusariosis is a fungal infection often involving the skin. Various species can cause local,
focally invasive, or disseminated infections. The routes of entry for Fusarium species include the respiratory tract,
gastrointestinal tract, toe nails, trauma to the skin, and indwelling central venous catheter.
Case Report: Herein, we present the case of a 35-year-old woman presenting with interdigital intertrigo. The patient had
no predisposing factors and she did not take any antifungal agents. Fusiform macroconidia were observed on the slide
culture of the fungus. The etiological agent of the infection was identified as Fusarium oxysporum through sequencing of
the translation elongation factor-1 alpha (TEF-1α) gene using the primers EF1 and EF2.
Conclusion: Fusariosis commonly presents as a severe fungal infection in immunocompromised patients. However, this
infection may also occur in immunocompetent patients. Although treatment with amphotericin B is a routine antifungal
therapy for fusariosis, many azoles such as cloterimazole can be used topically with fewer side-effects

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