Successful treatment of kerion with itraconazole and ALA-PDT: A case report.

Kerion refers to the severe inflammatory reaction which occurs in some cases of fungal infection of the hair or hair follicles. Successful treatment is a challenge for the small number of kerion patients who show poor efficacy of oral antifungal agents. In recent years, photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been proven to be a useful treatment for a variety of fungal infections. In this case report, a 9-year-old Chinese girl presented with erythema, pustular and tender plaques on her scalp for 2 month. The diagnosis of kerion was made based on clinical features and positive mycological findings. After the disease relapsed with oral administration of itraconazole for 6 weeks, she was successfully cured by three sessions of ALA-PDT combined with itraconazole. This case report suggests that ALA-PDT provides a good alternative and adjutant choice for kerion with safety, less side effects, and good repeatability.