Primary cutaneous phaeohyphomycosis: report of seven cases

We report seven cases of primary cutaneous phaeohyphomycosis. There were five males and two females, ranging in age from 42-65 years (mean 57.7 years). Two patients were otherwise healthy, but five were immunocompromised. One patient had rheumatoid arthritis and was on oral prednisone; two were renal transplant recipients, one was a heart transplant recipient, and the fifth had dermatomyositis. No history of trauma was elicited from any of the patients, but in two cases, foreign material was seen in the tissue sections. All lesions were on the extremities. In two cases, tissues were cultured, and these grew Exophiala jeanselmei. The others were not cultured because fungal infection was not clinically suspected. No systemic disease developed in any of the cases, and all were cured by the simple, complete excision of the lesions.