Cladosporium Scalp Infection in an 11-Year-Old Girl
January 2013
in “
PubMed
”
TLDR An 11-year-old girl's hair loss was caused by a Cladosporium fungal infection, which was cured with itraconazole treatment.
In 2013, an 11-year-old girl was diagnosed with a Cladosporium scalp infection after a 3-year history of hair loss and mild scalp itching. Initially misdiagnosed with trichotillomania, her symptoms included thin, dry, and brittle hair, with broken hair shafts visible under a dermatoscope. The infection was confirmed through a 20% potassium hydroxide (KOH) preparation of material from her scalp, which revealed pigmented yeast forms and brown septate hyphae. Fungal cultures also showed dark brown colonies, identified as Cladosporium species. After treatment with 200 mg of itraconazole daily for 2 months, the girl showed significant improvement, with cessation of hair loss, new hair growth, and no visible broken hair shafts or dark pigmentation at the base of the hair. A new KOH preparation also showed no presence of conidia, indicating successful treatment of the infection.
