White piedra

Abstract

White piedra, a fungal infection caused by Trichosporon cutaneum, has been reported in Europe, South America, and the Orient. A few cases have also been reported in the United States, all of them acquired as well in this country. A patient whose condition was diagnosed in California apparently contracted white piedra while visiting Panama, demonstrating that tropical diseases may occasionally be found at great distances from their point of origin. Therapy with topical clotrimazole and removal of infected hairs by shaving failed to produce a clinical or culturally confirmed cure in this patient.