ABSTRACT
Scedosporium apiospermum, an asexual state of Pseudallescheria boydii, is a widely distributed mould that can be found in the soil, manure, stagnant water and decaying vegetation. It has become an emerging pathogen among immunosuppressed patients but it can also cause infections in immunocompetent patients by penetrating trauma. This fungus is a classical cause of mycetoma and the localized skin infections caused by this mould are much rarer than mycetoma. We report a case of cutaneous S. apiospermum infection in a 79-year-old woman. She had erythematous plaque with crust and violaceous supprative nodules on the right forearm. The culture from pus showed typical white to gray colored cottony colonies of S. apiospermum. Treatment was started with voriconazole effectively. Skin lesions completely cured with no reccurence. Thus, voriconazole shows to be an effective treatment for Scedosporium infection.
Subject(s)
Female , Humans , Forearm , Fungi , Manure , Mycetoma , Pseudallescheria , Pyrimidines , Scedosporium , Skin , Soil , Suppuration , TriazolesABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Among antimicrobial peptides produced by keratinocytes, beta-defensins and LL-37 are the major human antimicrobial peptides. Because beta-defensins have recently received great attention for its roles associated with host defense and cancer development, we hypothesized that beta-defensin 1 has an influence on the differentiation and malignant changes of various skin tumors originating from keratinocytes and malignant melanomas. OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to measure the expression of beta-defensin 1 in different skin tumors. METHODS: The expression of beta-defensin 1 was examined by immunohistochemical staining of 57 specimens of skin tumors including 12 cases of seborrheic keratosis, 4 cases of keratoacanthoma, 12 cases of actinic keratosis, 10 cases of basal cell carcinoma, 16 cases of squamous cell carcinoma and 3 cases of malignant melanoma. RESULTS: Immunohistochemical analysis of skin tumor tissue samples revealed significantly higher expression of beta-defensin 1 in benign skin tumors (seborrheic keratoses, keratoacanthomas) and premalignant lesions (actinic keratoses) than in malignant tumors (squamous cell carcinomas, basal cell carcinomas, and malignant melanomas). Among malignant tumors, basal cell carcinomas and malignant melanomas showed lower expression of beta-defensin 1 than squamous cell carcinomas, in which their expression was shown to be decreased with increased dysplasia of the tumor cells. CONCLUSION: These findings showed that beta-defensin 1 has a negative association with malignancies of skin tumors. The role of beta-defensin 1 is suggested in the protection of malignant changes including loss of differentiation and dysplasia in skin tumors.
Subject(s)
Humans , beta-Defensins , Carcinoma, Basal Cell , Carcinoma, Squamous Cell , Keratinocytes , Keratoacanthoma , Keratosis , Keratosis, Actinic , Keratosis, Seborrheic , Melanoma , Peptides , SkinABSTRACT
Myiasis is the infestation of any part of the body by Diptera larvae. It is the fourth most common travel-associated skin disease and cutaneous myiasis is the most frequently encountered clinical form. Furuncular lesions may result when the skin is affected. Cutaneous myiasis caused by Cordylobia anthropophaga has been endemic in the sub-Saharan African region for more than 135 years. There have been some reported cases from non-endemic regions, and yet C. anthropophaga infestations are rarely acquired outside of Africa. We report here a rare case of furuncular cutaneous myaisis by C. anthropophaga in a German patient who came to Korea after a three-week trip to Benin.
Subject(s)
Humans , Africa , Benin , Diptera , Korea , Larva , Myiasis , Porphyrins , Skin , Skin DiseasesABSTRACT
Washboard nail is a dystrophy that presents as a series of ridges that extends across the nail. It is often accompanied by a central depression that extends from the cuticle to the free edge. Washboard nail is often a result of frequently repeated trauma, but sometimes predisposing factors cannot be found. When habitual tic is the cause of the lesions, restraining the habit is the most important treatment. Here, we report a case of a 6-year-old male with washboard nails on both thumbnails and was treated with topical 0.1% tacrolimus ointment. Significant improvement was observed after 4 months of application. This case suggests that topical tacrolimus can be considered as a primary therapy in the treatment of washboard nails in the absence of trauma.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Depression , Nails , Tacrolimus , TicsABSTRACT
Epidermal cysts are the most common cysts of the skin. Aconventional epidermal cyst rarely reaches a size of more than 5 cm in diameter. We report on two cases of giant epidermal cyst occurring in the neck. One patient had a cyst measuring 12x9x9 cm and the other patient had a non-pulsatile, dome-shaped lesion in the neck, which measured 6x5x3 cm. The lesions were totally excised. Histopathologically, both were confirmed as giant epidermal cysts.