Onychomycosis by Syncephalastrum racemosum a rare non-dermatophyte mould: Case Report from Karnataka, India

Abstract

Onychomycosis is a common nail infection caused by two groups of pathogenic fungi, dermatophyte and yeast. However, in a small portion of the cases, the etiological agents are non-dermatophyte moulds, belonging to different genera and species. Among the non-dermatophytes, the yeast like Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, and other moulds like Scopulariopsis spp., Scytalidium spp, Fusarium spp, and Aspergillus spp may be responsible. We are reporting here, a case of onychomycosis in a 45-year-old female who is non-diabetic, immunocompetent patient, due to Syncephalastrum racemosum which is a rare non dermatophyte mould and its complete improvement with oral Itraconazole and topical Nystatin combination. The affected nails were clipped after disinfecting the surface and collected in sterile container. The nails were subjected for potassium hydroxide wet mount and fungal culture was done on Sabouraud Dextrose Agar with cycloheximide. The culture slants were incubated at 37°C. The growth observed on the slants was identified using Lacto phenol cotton blue (LPCB) by morphological characteristics. Keywords: Onychomycosis, Syncephalastrum.