No abstract available.
Chromoblastomycosis* ; Japan*

Chromoblastomycosis is an endemic mycoses which has been misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed in the past. This may be due to the clinicopathologic characteristics that it shares with other neglected tropical diseases such as leprosy and cutaneous tuberculosis. Correlating clinical findings with histopathologic cues will lead clinicians to correct diagnosis and subsequent treatment success.
Chromoblastomycosis ; Invasive Fungal Infections ; Itraconazole

Chromoblastomycosis, a chronic fungal infection of the skin and subcutaneous tissue, is known to be difficult to treat. Recently itraconazole has proved effective for treatment of this infection, but requires a prolonged treatment course. We experienced a case of chromoblastomycosis caused by Fonsecaea pedrosoi in a 68-year-old Korean man showing a complete resolution with a short course of oral itraconazole, 200 mg daily, for six weeks.
Aged ; Chromoblastomycosis* ; Humans ; Itraconazole* ; Skin ; Subcutaneous Tissue

Phaeohyphomycosis is a subcutaneous and systemic infection caused by dark-walled hyphae and differs from chromoblastomycosis in that it has no sclerotic cells. It commonly occurs in a immunosuppressed host. Exophiala dermatitidis, common pathogen of phaeohyphomycosis, has been commonly reported in Japan, but very rare in Korea. This report describes a case of phaeohyphomycosis due to Exophiala dermatitidis successfully treated with itraconazole.
Chromoblastomycosis ; Exophiala* ; Hyphae ; Immunocompromised Host ; Itraconazole* ; Japan ; Korea ; Phaeohyphomycosis*

Medical mycology has gone through five distinct eras: 1) Fungi causing dermatophytoses, 2) Discovery of rare and fatal systemic mycoses, 3) Realization that fungi cause common and subclinical diseases, 4) AIDS and the era of the compromised host, 5) Broad-spectrum antifungals with few side effects. Chromoblastomycosis caused by a group of dematiaceous fungi is a common disease in china. To date almost 500 cases have been repoted. This article aims to introduce epidemiology, microbiology, clinical features, laboratory diagnosis and treatment of chromoblastomycosis in china.
China ; Chromoblastomycosis ; Clinical Laboratory Techniques ; Fungi ; Mycology ; Mycoses ; Tinea

The reports on the subcutaneous infection cases by the opportunistic fungi, reported in Korean Journal of Dermatology, Annals of Dermatology and Korean Journal of Medical Mycology from 1960 to 1999, were summarized. The opportunistic subcutaneous fungal diseases were cryptococcosis, aspergillosis, mucormycosis, pheohypomycosis, pseudallescheriasis, chromomycosis, paecilomycosis, fusariosis, sporotrichosis. Only two cases were the systemic infection with cutaneous manifestations and the others were the primary cutaneous infection. Besides sporotrichosis, all the fungal diseases began to be reported since 1980's. The total number of the cases was insidiously increased.
Aspergillosis ; Chromoblastomycosis ; Cryptococcosis ; Dermatology ; Fungi ; Fusariosis ; Mucormycosis ; Mycology ; Sporotrichosis

In recent years, there has been a rapid decrease in amphibian populations worldwide, and infectious diseases have been associated with this decline. Diseased frogs inhabiting Korea were collected from fields, and the diseases were identified by morphological and molecular analyses. Two fungal diseases-saprolegniasis and chromomycosis-were detected in the frogs. Saprolegniasis caused by Saprolegnia spp. was found in Rana plancyi chosenica from Gangwon-do and Rana huanrenensis from Chungbuk. Chromomycosis, which is caused by infection with Cladosporium cladosporioides, was detected in Rana catesbeiana from Busan.
Amphibians ; Chromoblastomycosis ; Cladosporium ; Communicable Diseases ; Korea ; Rana catesbeiana ; Ranidae ; Saprolegnia

We report a case of chromoblastomycosis caused by Fonsecaea(F.) pedrosoi in a 58-year-old female, who showed a 2 x1.5cm sized, scply erythematous plaque on the left wrist for 7 months. Histopathologically, chronic granulomatous inflammation and sclerotic cells were observed. Fungal culture grew out th typical black colonies of F. pedrosoi. The patient had been treated with weekly intralesional injections of amphotericin B for 3 months. We observed a good response without evidence of recurrence.
Amphotericin B ; Chromoblastomycosis* ; Female ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Injections, Intralesional ; Middle Aged ; Recurrence ; Wrist

BACKGROUND: There are three kinds of diseases caused by dematiaceous fungi: chromoblastomycosis, phaeohyphomycosis, and eumycotic mycetoma. The dematiaceous fungi have been identified and classified by morphological, biochemical and physiological tests. Recently molecular analysis has been introduced to the field of medical mycology. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the genetic diversity of dematiaceous fungi using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD). METHODS: The dematiaceous fungal strains studied were eight clinical isolates of chromoblastomycosis and phaeohyphomycosis agents (3 strains of Fonsecaea pedrosoi, 2 strains of Exophiala dermatitidis, 1 strain of Exophiala jeanselmei, 1 strain of Phialophora verrucosa, 1 strain of Rhinocladiella aquaspersa) and 4 standard strains (F. pedrosoi IFM 4889, E. dermatitidis IFM 4828, P. verrucosa IFM 4928, R. aquaspersa IFM 4930). Total twelve strains of dematiaceous fungi were cultured on Sabouraud's dextrose broth and their DNA were extracted by bead-beating method. RESULTS: The optimal condition for PCR was template DNA 0.025 mg and annealing temperature 39 degrees C. The RAPD analysis using OPA 10 primer (5'-GTGATCGCAG-3') of Operon kit showed different patterns among dematiaceous fungi. But one clinical isolate of F. pedrosoi showed intra-specific variability. CONCLUSION: The RAPD analysis is considered a rapid and reliable method for identification and classification of dematiaceous fungi if the procedure is carefully standardized with adequate primer.
Chromoblastomycosis ; Classification ; DNA* ; Exophiala ; Fungi* ; Genetic Variation* ; Glucose ; Mycetoma ; Mycology ; Operon ; Phaeohyphomycosis ; Phialophora ; Polymerase Chain Reaction

BACKGROUND: Despite the increase of infections caused by dematiaceous fungi, the antifungal susceptibility of these fungi has been the little study. It is necessary to perform antifungal susceptibility testing of dematiaceous fungi. Etest (AB Biodisk, Sweden) is a rapid, easy-to-perform in-vitro antifungal susceptibility test. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to investigate the minimal inhibitory concentration (MICs) of dematiaous fungi isolated from skin lesion using Etest. METHODS: The dematiaceous fungal strains studied were nine clinical isolates of chromoblastomycosis and phaeohyphomycosis agents (3 strains of Exophiala dermatitidis, 4 strains of Fonsecaea pedrosoi, 2 strains of Exophiala jeanselmei) and two standard strains (Aspergillus flavus KCTC 6905, Aspergillus fumigatus KCTC 6145). MIC endpoints of Etest for amphotericin B (AMB) and itraconazole (ITZ) susceptibility were read after 72, 96, and 120 hours incubation for each isolates on RPMI 1640 agar. RESULTS: MIC of AMB was 0.125~1.0 microgram/mL on E. dermatitidis & F. pedrosoi, and 0.19~0.25 microgram/mL on E. jeanselmei. MIC of ITZ was 0.38~1.5 microgram/mL on E. dermatitidis, 0.016~0.125 microgram/mL on F. pedrosoi, and 0.064~0.25 microgram/mL on E. jeanselmei. Two strains of E. dermatitidis isolated from Korean patients with phaeohyphomycosis showed ITZ-resistant. CONCLUSION: This study showed that Etest represented a simple and efficacious method for antifungal susceptibility testing of dematiaceous fungi.
Agar ; Amphotericin B ; Aspergillus fumigatus ; Chromoblastomycosis ; Exophiala ; Fungi ; Humans ; Itraconazole ; Phaeohyphomycosis ; Skin