Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Basidiobolomycosis is an uncommon chronic deep fungal infection in which gradually enlarging granulomas form, usually in the subcutaneous fat tissues of the limbs, chest or trunk of immunocompetent hosts, primarily children and young adults.
It is caused by the fungus Basidiobolus ranarum. Definitive diagnosis is by microscopy and histopathology. Effective treatments include ketoconazole, itraconazole, potassium iodide and co-trimoxazole.
A 3 year old girl presented with ulcerations on the right thigh for one month, and painful swelling of the right leg and right buttock for six months. The right lower limb and vulva were swollen, tender and hard with hyperpigmentation and inguinal lymphadenopathy. Histopathological examination showed a dermal chronic granulomatous infiltrate with fungal hyphae and yeast forms suggestive of Basidiobolus ranarum.
There was marked reduction in right leg size and inguinal lymphadenopathy after several weeks of oral itraconazole, and complete healing of ulcers after 10 weeks. The purpose of this report is to increase awareness of this disfiguring condition which is treatable but, if not correctly diagnosed, could result in inappropriate interventions such as amputation and anti-coagulant therapy.
Keywords: Deep fungal infection, basidiobolomycosis, itraconazole, chronic ulcer, leg swelling. A 3 year old girl from the Northern Ghana, West Africa, presented with a six month history of progressive painful swelling of the right leg and right buttock; and for one month, ulceration of the right thigh.
