The first case report of kerion-type scalp mycosis caused by Aspergillus protuberus

BACKGROUND: Scalp mycosis is often caused by dermatophytes and was so called tinea capitis. There is no published report caused by Aspergillus protuberus. We report a rare case of kerion-type scalp mycosis caused by A. protuberus. CASE PRESENTATION: A 5-year-old girl developed pyogenic mass with pain for 8 days and got a fever for 2 days prior to admission. Surgical incision and drainage of the mass, intravenous cefuroxime and metronidazole in the local hospital aggravated the skin lesions. Species identification was performed by observation of morphologic and biochemical characteristicsand sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and β-tubulin (BT2). Treatment with oral and topical antifungal agents was effective with no relapse during the six months of clinical follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Aspergillusis a opportunistic pathogenic fungus and its infection occurs mostly in patients with underlying conditions and immunocompromised statuses. So far no report of kerion-type scalp infection has been reported. The first case of kerion-type scalp mycosis caused by A. protuberus was described to highlight the importance of mycological examination that helps to recognize rare pathogenic fungi. Any boggy lesion with hair loss over the scalp and non-responsive to antibiotics should be suspected as resulting from fungal infection, and mycological examination should be performed, especially in children.