A rare case of a subcutaneous phaeomycotic cyst with a brief review of literature

Phaeohyphomycosis consists of a heterogeneous group of fungal infections caused by more than 80 genera and species. Subcutaneous infection usually follows traumatic implantation of a fungus by a wooden splinter that the fungus inh abits as a saprophyte. The growth of the fungus forms verrucous plaques or a painless subcutaneous abscess. We report a subcutaneous cyst (phaeomycotic cyst) in the leg of a 60-year-old woman that developed after a thorn prick at that site. With the provisional diagnosis of an epidermoid cyst, she was treated with a simple excision of the cyst. However, histopathological examination of the cyst revealed the typical features of fungus, and a definitive diagnosis of a phaeomycotic cyst was made. As the infective aetiology was not considered clinically, the specimen was not sent for microbiological culture, and hence the exact species was not identified. As the lesion was localised, simple excision was sufficient treatment, and no recurrence was observed during 12 months of follow-up.