An uncommon form of tinea infection is bullous tinea. It is easy to confuse with other blistering skin disorders, with skin biopsy important for its diagnosis.
Clinical features:
(1) presence of vesicles or bullae
(2) clinical signs suggesting a dermatophyte infection may or may not be present
(3) presence of fungal hyphae in skin biopsy
More common sites:
(1) tinea pedis
(2) tinea corporis
The skin biopsy may show:
(1) blisters are intraepithelial, subepithelial or both
(2) lymphocytes are predominant but neutrophils and/or eosinophils can be seen
(3) fungal stains show hyphae in the stratum corneum, within the bullae or in hair follicles
Fungal stains (PAS, GMS) are more sensitive than H&E.
To read more or access our algorithms and calculators, please log in or register.
