Three cases of children tinea nigra

Abstract

We report three cases of tinea nigra in children caused by Hortaea werneckii. The patients were all girls, aged 2, 2 and 3 years, respectively. All patients presented with asymptomatic brown or black rash on either one palm or both palms. Dermoscopy showed scattered or overlapping dark brown pigmented granules forming a striated or reticulated structure with clear borders and uniform color. Direct microscopic examination revealed branched, curved, brown septate hyphae. The fungal culture showed black, shiny, yeast-like colonies at early stage, and elevated irregular colonies with flocculent mycelium surrounded by a black edge after 14 days. The strain of Hortaea werneckii was identified by ITS rDNA sequencing. Diagnosis of tinea nigra was confirmed by clinical symptoms and laboratory examinations. All patients were cured with topical antifungal drugs and with no recurrence at 3 months of follow-up.

Keywords

• tinea nigra
• hortaea werneckii
• dermoscopy