Tinea incognito mimicking red face and red ear

Tinea Incognito

Tinea incognito (TI), or incognita, are superficial fungal dermatophyte infections that are changed in shape, most frequently because of topical, systemic steroids use and other immunosuppressants. There are different clinical presentations depending on host factors and the species of dermatophyte causing the disorder. Diagnosis can be challenging and might need combined methods. Once diagnosed the treatment is the usual antifungals, either topical or systemic or combined depending on the site, extent, and host factors.

Tinea incognito

Tinea incognito was first described 50 years ago. It is a dermatophytic infection with a clinical presentation modified by previous treatment with topical or systemic corticosteroids, as well as by the topical application of immunomodulators such as pimecrolimus and tacrolimus. Tinea incognito usually resembles neurodermatitis, atopic dermatitis, rosacea, seborrheic dermatitis, lupus erythematosus, or contact dermatitis, and the diagnosis is frequently missed or delayed.

Eighty-four consecutive cases of tinea faciei in Siena, a retrospective study (1989-2003)

Consecutive cases of tinea faciei diagnosed in Siena between 1989 and 2003 were studied retrospectively for differences in clinical form, demographic data and species of dermatophyte isolated. The series consisted of 84 cases (59 females, 25 males) with a mean age of 27 years. Mean age of females (32.4 years) was significantly greater than that of males (14.2 years). The dermatophytes most frequently isolated were Microsporum canis (38 cases) and Trichophyton rubrum (31 cases). Clinical form was typical of tinea in 54 subjects (64.3%) and was tinea incognito because of inappropriate therapy in the other 30 (35.7%) subjects. The mean age of patients with the typical form (19.2 years) was significantly lower than that of those with tinea incognito (41.1 years). All cases in the age range 6-15 years had typical tinea, whereas the maximum frequency of cases with tinea incognito was 46-50 years. In the group with tinea incognito there was a majority of women and the dermatophytes isolated differed with gender. No such difference was observed in the group with typical tinea.

Case Report. Widespread tinea corporis due to Trichophyton rubrum

We report the case of a 36-year-old man who presented large erythematous plaques involving the trunk, face and extremities, since one month. Some of these lesions had a psoriasis-like aspect, with abundant superficial scaling. Direct microscopic examination of scales removed from the plaques revealed numerous hyphae. Cultural examination lead to the identification of Trichophyton rubrum species. Our case of tinea corporis presented some peculiarities related both to the extension of the lesions and their clinical aspects.