Four cases of dermatomycosis: superficial cutaneous infection by Alternaria or Bipolaris

Invasive dermal infections in immunosuppressed patients by a wide variety of opportunistic fungi are well described in the literature; however, superficial infections (dermatomycosis) are more rarely described. We report 4 cases of dermatomycosis by Alternaria or Bipolaris species. All but one of the patients had predisposing conditions including topical corticosteroid use, atopic or seborrheic dermatitis, and nail dystrophy. All 4 patients were otherwise immunocompetent. These cases represent some of the very few reports of Bipolaris in a primary stratum corneum infection and the first report of Bipolaris in an otherwise healthy person. We also describe what may be the first report of Bipolaris onychomycosis. All of our patients responded to topical or oral imidazole antifungal therapy. We discuss the significance of Alternaria and Bipolaris as contaminants or irrelevant organisms grown in some cultures of skin scrapings.