Case Report
Year: 2016 | Month: November | Volume: 6 | Issue: 11 | Pages: 295-298
Unusual Cause of Onychomycosis, Chaetomium globosum, in a Hilly State of North India: A Case Report
Ghanshyam Verma1, Santwana Verma2, ArchanaAngrup3
1Assistant Professor, Dept. of Dermatology, IGMC, Shimla.
2Associate Professor, Dept. of Microbioogy, Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India.
3Assistant Professor, Dept. of Microbiology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
Corresponding Author: Ghanshyam Verma
ABSTRACT
Onychomycosis, the fungal infection of nail is a common occurrence. The conventional fungi implicated are dermatophytes and Candida species. Non-dermatophytic moulds account for few cases and Chaetomium globosum is an exceptional agent. This characteristically involves the toe nails which are dystrophic and discoloured yellow-brown. Direct microscopy shows brown septate hyphae. Isolate is rapidly growing, grey-brown mould with characteristic osteolate perithecia surrounded by brown septate setae. Perithecia discharge lemon shaped, brown ascospores. Chaetomium being a soil saprophyte may escape identification as a pathogenic agent. We describe the case of a 50 years old female with onychomycosis of toenails by Chaetomium globosum.
Key words: onychomycosis, Chaetomium globosum, nail, perithecia.