Two Unusual Pediatric Cases of Fungal Infections in Farming Families

ABSTRACT

It is not known whether farming families have more cases of uncommon fungal infections than the general population because of their interdependence on farming environments, including farm animals and other pets. The authors describe here two cases of fungal infections with interesting epidemiology that suggest associations that have been insufficiently described and explored in the literature. The first is a case of otomycosis in a 17-year-old female and is suspected to be linked to hay baling. The second is a case of tinea capitis in a 25-month-old female toddler living on a farm and illustrates that rural farming families with closer association with animals are infected with different species of fungi than are seen in urban areas.

Keywords:

• Fungal infections
• otomycosis
• tinea capitis

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Erratum

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation's Office of Scientific Writing and Publication for editorial assistance in the preparation of the manuscript.