Cutaneous lesions of histoplasmosis with transepidermal elimination in a patient with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

Histoplasma capsulatum is a dimorphic pathogenic fungus that produces a variety of self-limiting disease syndromes in healthy persons, but commonly disseminates in immunocompromised hosts. Although histoplasmosis has been recently described in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, it is an uncommon finding, occurring in fewer than 0.5 percent of patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. We are reporting a second case of disseminated histoplasmosis presenting as keratotic papules with transepidermal elimination of Histoplasma capsulatum. Our case demonstrates the importance of including histoplasmosis in the differential diagnosis of keratotic papules occurring in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.