Dermatophytosis Gone Wild

Deep invasive dermatophytosis appears to be a manifestation of defective CARD9 function; activation of the antifungal immunity signaling pathway may be a therapeutic strategy for its control.

Dermatophytosis “tinea” is often a superficial nuisance, but in a small subset of patients, deep dermatophytosis infections can be disfiguring and deadly, even in the absence of signs of T-cell immunodeficiency. In these patients, it is possible to find extensive locoregional and lymph node involvement, deep persistent granulomas, and even central nervous system involvement.

Using a candidate-gene approach, Lanternier et al. studied 17 affected patients from eight distinct kindreds, seven of which were consanguineous. These patients had a variety of clinical features, but most had culture-verified dermatophytoses and lymph node involvement, positivity for Trichophyoton rubrum and T. violaceum, and some had candidiasis. The researchers identi…

Reviewing Author

Kenneth Y. Tsai, MD, PhD

Disclosures

Grant / Research support American Association for Cancer Research – Landon Foundation; National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute; Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas

Editorial BoardsJournal of the American Academy of Dermatology

Kenneth Y. Tsai, MD, PhD

Disclosures

Grant / Research support American Association for Cancer Research – Landon Foundation; National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute; Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas

Editorial BoardsJournal of the American Academy of Dermatology

Dermatophytosis Gone Wild

Topics

Reviewing Author