PHIALOPHORA VERRUCOSA INFECTION IN AN AIDS PATIENT

Phialophora verrucosa is one of several pathogenic dematiaceous fungi associated with chromomycosis and occasionally phaeohyphomycosis. Infe ction appears to be increasing in frequency in both immunocompromised and presumably healthy patients. Medical therapy is often difficult, a nd a wide variety of antifungal agents have been tried with varying de grees of success. Mie report a patient with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and extensive cutaneous fungal infection due to Phialo phora verrucosa. The disease failed to respond to ketoconazole, but re gression of the lesions was obtained with itraconazole.