Fonsecaea pedrosoi is the main agent of chromoblastomycosis, a skin disease presenting verrucous lesions, in which round, thick-walled sclerotic cells are found. In vitro induction of sclerotic cells is time-consuming (20 to 45 days) and temperature dependent. We present two new natural media that reduce the sclerotic-cell induction time to only 2 days.

BACKGROUND Chromoblastomycosis is a subcutaneous mycosis that occurs mainly in rural workers although is being more commonly found among people working in other sectors. The fungus penetrates the skin after its inoculation and the most frequently isolated agent is the Fonsecaea pedrosoi. OBJECTIVES This study aims at evaluating patients suffering from chromoblastomycosis admitted into the Dep...

Subcutaneous mycoses include a heterogeneous group of fungal infections that develop at the site of transcutaneous trauma. Infection slowly evolves as the etiologic agent survives and adapts to the adverse host tissue environment. Diagnosis rests on clinical presentation, histopathology, and culture of the etiologic agents. This article considers sporotrichosis, chromoblastomycosis, and mycetoma.

A case of extensive chromoblastomycosis of the right leg and thigh with verruciform to nodular lesions evolving rapidly over five years duration is reported. The diagnosis was confirmed by visualizing pathognomonic pigmented muriform bodies with unique septate hyphae and mycological culture yielding Fonsecaea pedrosoi.

A case is reported of an English woman who presented with a mass in the breast which was locally excised. Histological studies revealed a giant-cell granulomatous inflammation involving the duct system and a fungus showing brown pigmentation was demonstrated in the lesions. This was not grown in culture but the morphological appearance suggested classification in the genus Cladosporium. The rel...

BACKGROUND: Chromoblastomycosis is a subcutaneous mycosis that occurs mainly in rural workers although is being more commonly found among people working in other sectors. The fungus penetrates the skin after its inoculation and the most frequently isolated agent is the Fonsecaea pedrosoi. OBJECTIVES: This study aims at evaluating patients suffering from chromoblastomycosis admitted into the Dep...

A man living in rural western Thailand presented with a well-demarcated pinkish plaque on the dorsal surface of the right hand, extending to several fingers ( Figure 1 ). Mild scale was present. The lesion was not pruritic or tender, and there was no sporotrichoid lymphadenopathy. The differential diagnosis included cutaneous deep fungal and atypical mycobacterial infections. A punch biopsy sho...

Phase-contrast microscope observations of the dimorphic fungus Phialophora dermatitidis revealed that thick-walled yeasts often tended to form aggregates and then to conjugate. Fusions were also observed among hyphae derived from the thick-walled yeasts.