tacrolimus and Tinea-Capitis

We herein report a case of tinea capitis initially showing a couple of nodular lesions. The patient was a 66-year-old woman who had seen a nearby dermatologist for itching on her head and had been treated with a topical steroid followed by tacrolimus application for one month. Because pseudolymphoma-like erythematous nodules developed at two sites, she visited us. Two weeks after stopping all medication, some slight scaling was found around these nodules. On KOH direct microscopic examination, many filamentous elements around hair shafts were observed. Biopsy of the nodules confirmed the destruction of hair follicles surrounded by granulomatous inflammation histologically. Grocott staining of the same specimen revealed a few short fungal hyphae as well as spores. She was also diagnosed as tinea pedis by direct microscopic examination of her feet. Trichophyton rubrum was isolated from scales of both her head and feet on Sabouraud's dextrose agar at 25 degrees C. Kerion celsi (KC) is usually clinically preceded by a gray patch or black dots. Such a typical course of KC, however, was not observed in our patient. Tacrolimus was thought to have possibly played an important role in modifying tinea capitis.

Topics: Administration, Topical; Aged; Female; Humans; Immunosuppressive Agents; Tacrolimus; Tinea Capitis; Trichophyton