Korean J Med Mycol.  2017 Mar;22(1):42-49. 10.17966/KJMM.2017.22.1.42.

A Case of Localized Skin Infection due to Purpureocillium lilacinum

• Kwak HB
• Park SK
• Yun SK
• Kim HU
• Park J

• KMID: 2377048
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.17966/KJMM.2017.22.1.42

Abstract

Purpureocillium lilacinum, formerly Paecilomyces lilacinus, is a saprophytic fungus found in soil and rotting vegetation and rarely pathogenic to humans. Only 4 cases of cutaneous infection caused by Purpureocillium lilacinum have been reported in the name of Paecilomyces lilacinus. Herein, we report a case of localized cutaneous infection due to Purpureocillium lilacinum. A healthy 81-year-old immunocompetent male presented with an erythematous scaly and pustular plaque on his left dorsal hand that had begun 3 months ago. Histopathologic examination showed suppurative granulomatous inflammation with hyphae and round spores in the dermis. Periodic acid-Schiff and methenamine silver stain revealed fungal spores. Fungus culture from the biopsy specimen revealed velvety pink to white colonies after 15 day-incubation period. The slide culture stained with lactophenol-cotton blue showed typical long hyphae and flask-shaped phialides with oval conidia in chains. The result of DNA sequencing from the colony was identical to that of Purpureocillium lilacinum.

Keyword

Purpureocillium lilacinum; Paecilomyces lilacinus

MeSH Terms

Aged, 80 and over
Biopsy
Dermis
Fungi
Hand
Humans
Hyphae
Inflammation
Male
Methenamine
Paecilomyces
Sequence Analysis, DNA
Skin*
Soil
Spores
Spores, Fungal
Methenamine
Soil