Successful treatment of chromoblastomycosis with topical heat therapy

Abstract

Four female patients with chromoblastomycosis were completely cured by prolonged topical application of tolerable heat from pocket warmers. The lesions involuted after 2, 3, and 6 months, respectively, in three patients who faithfully followed our strict treatment schedule, in contrast to the fourth patient who performed the topical heat therapy in an irregular manner at home over a 12-month period. In vitro studies showed that the mature colonies of Fonsecaea pedrosoi, isolated from three of the patients, withstood persistent heating at 42.5 degrees C for more than 1 month. This suggested that heat killing of the causative organisms is unlikely to have been the sole reason for the effectiveness of this simple therapeutic modality.