Cutaneous Curvularia Infection of the Forearm

Phaeohyphomycosis is the general term for infections caused by dematiaceous fungi. Although rare in humans, these infections are being reported at an increasing rate. Curvularia is a dematiaceous fungus that is ubiquitous among soil and vegetation in temperate areas and has only recently been revealed to cause human disease. Treatment guidelines have yet to be delineated due to the paucity of reported cases. We report the case of a 73-year-old man with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, recent pneumonia caused by Actinomyces, and a localized plaque on his right lateral forearm extending to his medial arm caused by Curvularia species with complete resolution from itraconazole therapy.