Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 22, 2026

Live Imaging of Antifungal Activity by Human Primary Neutrophils and Monocytes in Response to A. fumigatus
12:29

Live Imaging of Antifungal Activity by Human Primary Neutrophils and Monocytes in Response to A. fumigatus

Published on: April 19, 2017

Cutaneous infection caused by Aspergillus terreus

Burcin Ozer1, Aydiner Kalaci2, Nizami Duran1

  • 1Department of Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology, School of Medicine, Mustafa Kemal University, Hatay, Turkey.

Journal of Medical Microbiology
|June 9, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Cutaneous Aspergillus terreus infection is rare, especially in children. This case highlights A. terreus as a cause of skin infection following an open tibial fracture in a pediatric patient.

Area of Science:

  • Mycology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Dermatology

Background:

  • Aspergillus species are common environmental molds with over 30 implicated in human and animal infections.
  • Cutaneous infections caused by Aspergillus terreus are exceptionally uncommon.

Observation:

  • A pediatric patient with an open tibial fracture, sustained from an agricultural accident, developed a cutaneous infection.
  • The infection was diagnosed as being caused by Aspergillus terreus.

Findings:

  • This report details a rare case of Aspergillus terreus causing a skin infection in a child.
  • The patient's presentation involved a post-traumatic wound.

Implications:

  • This case underscores the importance of considering rare fungal pathogens like Aspergillus terreus in managing complex wound infections.
  • Highlights the need for awareness of Aspergillus terreus in pediatric cutaneous infections, particularly after trauma.

Related Concept Videos

Fungal Phylum Ascomycota01:28

Fungal Phylum Ascomycota

Phylum Ascomycota, a major division within the subkingdom Dikarya, comprises a diverse range of fungal species, including both unicellular yeasts and filamentous molds such as Aspergillus and Penicillium. These fungi thrive in a variety of habitats, from aquatic ecosystems to terrestrial environments, playing crucial ecological and economic roles.Morphology and ReproductionThe defining characteristic of Ascomycetes, commonly referred to as sac fungi, is the ascus—a sac-like structure that...
Skin Diseases and Disorders01:23

Skin Diseases and Disorders

Skin is the first line of defense and encounters a variety of microbes. Some pathogenic strains are often the cause of a broad range of infections of the skin and other body systems. These conditions can affect people of all ages and may have different causes, including genetic factors, infections, autoimmune reactions, environmental factors, and lifestyle choices.
Gram-positive Staphylococcus spp. and Streptococcus spp. are responsible for many of the most common skin infections. However, many...
Staphylococcal Skin Infections01:29

Staphylococcal Skin Infections

Staphylococcus aureus is a Gram-positive coccus that resides harmlessly on the skin and mucous membranes of healthy individuals. When the skin barrier is breached, it can shift from a commensal to an opportunistic pathogen. This transition is facilitated by surface adhesins, such as clumping factor B and S. aureus surface protein G (SasG), which bind to structural proteins, including loricrin and cytokeratin, in the damaged epidermis. Protein A, another key factor, binds the Fc region of...
Antifungal Agents01:15

Antifungal Agents

Amphotericin B is a broad-spectrum antifungal agent that exploits structural differences between fungal and mammalian cell membranes. Its amphipathic structure—featuring a hydrophobic polyene-lactone ring and a hydrophilic region containing mycosamine and carboxylic acid groups—enables selective binding to ergosterol, a sterol predominantly found in fungal plasma membranes. This selective interaction underlies the drug’s antifungal activity, although weak binding to cholesterol contributes to...
American Trypanosomiasis01:22

American Trypanosomiasis

Chagas disease, or American trypanosomiasis, is a vector-borne parasitic infection caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, a flagellated protozoan (kinetoplastid) of the family Trypanosomatidae. The disease is endemic in Latin America, although cases are increasingly reported worldwide due to human migration. Transmission most commonly occurs when feces of infected triatomine bugs contaminate bite wounds or mucosal surfaces; additional routes include congenital, transfusional, transplant-related, and oral...
Physical Properties of Amines01:26

Physical Properties of Amines

Amines with low molecular weight are usually gaseous at room temperature, while those with high molecular weight are liquid or solids in nature. Usually, low molecular weight amines have a rotten fish-like smell. Diamines typically have a pungent smell. For instance, cadaverine and putrescine, depicted in Figure 1, are two molecules responsible for decaying tissue.