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CASE REPORT
Iatrogenic immunosuppression may favour Alternaria skin lesion flares
  1. Rosanna Satta,
  2. Maria Pina Dore,
  3. Giovanni Mario Pes,
  4. Gabriele Biondi
  1. Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
  1. Correspondence to Professor Maria Pina Dore, mpdore{at}uniss.it

Summary

Alternaria spp may cause opportunistic mycoses in the skin after cutaneous inoculation or through blood dissemination in immune-suppressed patients. Here, we describe a case of cutaneous infection with Alternaria spp in a 62-year-old man, presenting with multifocal papules and erythematous nodules involving distal limbs bilaterally. The absence of inflammatory bowel disease was confirmed by a gastroenterologist. The patient was under treatment for uveitis of unknown origin with immunosuppressive doses of cyclosporin and prednisolone for approximately 3 months. The diagnosis was based on clinical signs, demonstration of fungal elements in skin biopsies and deep fungal culture. Complete clinical remission was achieved by oral and systemic treatment with antifungal drugs. However, because cessation of the immunosuppressive medication was not possible, his clinical history was characterised by multiple flares requiring each time oral and intravenous antifungal treatment.

  • dermatology
  • infectious diseases

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Footnotes

  • Contributors RS and GB formulated the diagnosis, treated the patient, took care of him and wrote the manuscript. GMP reviewed the dermatological aspects of the case and wrote the manuscript. MPD reviewed the gastrointestinal aspects and edited the manuscript.

  • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

  • Competing interests None declared.

  • Patient consent Obtained.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.