Confluent and reticulated papillomatosis responsive to minocycline

Confluent and reticulated papillomatosis (Gougerot and Carteaud) is a distinctive clinico-pathologic entity of unknown etiology, whose relationship to fungi is still controversial. We report a 15-year-old Japanese male in whom Malassezia yeasts were found on direct microscopic examination. Treatment with oral itraconazole initially resulted in partial improvement but later became ineffective. The rash virtually disappeared with administration of minocycline. These observations indicate that the role of Malassezia yeasts in the pathogenesis of this disease is probably less important than that of microorganisms sensitive to minocycline.