Tinea Barbae Caused by Trichophyton mentagrophytes

Tinea barbae is a dermatophyte infection of the bearded areas of the face and neck. The incidence of tinea barbae has decreased as improved sanitation. We report a case of tinea barbae in a 49-year-old-man, who presented with relatively well-defined erythematous patch with pustules on the upper lip. A fungal culture from tissue of the lesions was grown on Sabouraud's dextrose agar and showed typical Trichophyton mentagrophytes. The nucleotide sequence of internal transcribed spacer for clinical isolate was identical to that of Arthroderma vanbreuseghemii IHEM 4411. The patient was treated with oral itraconazole for 3 months. The skin lesions improved 3 months after treatment, and recurrence has not been observed. [Korean J Med Mycol 2014; 19(1): 13-17]