Pathology, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Mangalore, Karnataka, India.
Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Mangalore, Karnataka, India
BMJ Case Rep. 2023 Aug 27;16(8):e255623. doi: 10.1136/bcr-2023-255623.
Subcutaneous entomophthoromycosis is an infection caused by saprophytic, ubiquitous and highly opportunistic fungal pathogens. Individuals with immune disorders are frequently susceptible to these infections. Entomophthoromycosis is a rare fungal infection that primarily affects children andmen, and is known to cause infection in healthy individuals. Diagnosis of the disease is by demonstration of fungal elements using special stains, and the disease responds well to oral antifungal agents. Long-term antifungal agents reduce the need for surgical intervention when the disease presents as a mass. We report a case of an immunocompetent nursing mother in her 20s who presented with a soft tissue mass in her right arm. It was diagnosed as subcutaneous entomophthoromycosis and treated with long-term fluconazole. The lesion showed a significant reduction in size following treatment for 2 months. Subcutaneous fungal infection presenting as a mass-forming lesion in extremities may mimic a neoplasm. Fungal infection should be ruled out in inflammatory cell-rich lesions seen on histopathological examination.
皮下芽生菌病是一种由腐生性、无处不在且高度机会性真菌病原体引起的感染。免疫功能紊乱的个体经常容易受到这些感染。芽生菌病是一种罕见的真菌感染，主要影响儿童和男性，已知也会感染健康个体。该病的诊断方法是使用特殊染色显示真菌成分，该病对口服抗真菌药物反应良好。长期使用抗真菌药物可减少疾病表现为肿块时进行手术干预的需要。我们报告了一例 20 多岁免疫功能正常的哺乳期母亲，其右侧手臂出现软组织肿块。诊断为皮下芽生菌病，并接受长期氟康唑治疗。治疗 2 个月后，病变明显缩小。以肿块形式出现的四肢皮下真菌感染可能类似于肿瘤。在组织病理学检查中见到富含炎症细胞的病变时，应排除真菌感染。
