Co-existence of cutaneous alternariosis and tinea corporis in a renal transplant recipient

May 2011, Vol. 49, No. 4 , Pages 435-438 (doi:10.3109/13693786.2010.540723)
*Department of Dermatology, The Secondary Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
Department of Dermatology, No.1 Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
Department of Dermatology, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, USA
Correspondence: Ya-Qin Zhang, Department of Dermatology, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, 218 Zi-qiang Street, Changchun, 130041, China. Tel: +86 139 4494 8338; E-mail:
Yuan-Hong Li, Department of Dermatology, No.1 Hospital of China Medical University, 155 North Nanjing Street, Shenyang, 110001, China. E-mail:



Alternariosis, caused by Alternaria spp., is a rare opportunistic infection often observed in immunocompromised patients. Alternaria is a ubiquitous saprophytic fungus that naturally is found on decaying plant materials. In this paper, a case of cutaneous alternariosis in association with tinea corporis is reported. The complicated infection was confirmed by histological examination and positive tissue culture. Although the cases of alternariosis in solid organ transplant recipients or Cushing's syndrome have been described elsewhere, this is the first report in a patient who had received two renal transplants who was co-infected with Alternaria spp. and Trichophyton rubrum.