Faculty Bibliography

Mucormycosis, also known as black fungus, is a rare but aggressive fungal disease with high morbidity and mortality rates that tends to affect patients who are severely immunocompromised. Early recognition of the infection and prompt intervention is critical for treatment success. In recent years the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a surge in the number of cases of mucormycosis. This study aims to report an unfortunate event involving an immunocompromised elderly male with mucormycosis of the foot who expired from sepsis due to COVID-19. It is important to have a high clinical suspicion for mucormycosis when a clinical lesion develops, and to appropriately biopsy the lesion in question, particularly in a context of COVID-19. Raising awareness of COVID-19-associated mucormycosis may allow for early detection of the disease, thus enabling the initiation of rapid treatment, ultimately saving lives.

Multiple cutaneous and uterine leiomyoma (MCL), or Reed syndrome is an uncommon condition that includes cutaneous piloleiomyomas and internal neoplasms of the uterus and kidney. Clinical findings include clusters of variably-painful, skin-colored-to-red-brown papules. Genetic testing shows germline mutations in the gene encoding fumarate hydratase. We describe a patient with MCL who presented with subtle cutaneous findings. We believe it is important that dermatologists consider a diagnosis of MCL when presented with patients with small painful dermal papules.

Lichen sclerosus (LS) is a chronic, inflammatory dermatosis that is characterized by pruritic, white, atrophic plaques that classically affect the anogenital region of postmenopausal women. Extragenital involvement also may occur with several reported morphologic variants. Extragenital bullous LS is a rare variant, which presents as flaccid bullae that favor the trunk and proximal aspects of the extremities. The treatment of extragenital bullous LS is similar to that of genital LS. However, extragenital LS is often less responsive and may present a therapeutic challenge. We describe a 65-year-old woman with a two-year history of vulvar and extragenital LS, who developed a bullous eruption within a pre-existing patch of lichen sclerosis on the breast. We review the clinical and histopathologic features of extragenital bullous LS and discuss current treatment options, which include those for recalcitrant cases.

We report a 34 year-old woman with psoriasis, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and recent anti-TNFa therapy, who presented with multiple, eruptive dermatofibromas (MEDF). Although the pathogenesis of MEDF remains unknown, there is substantial evidence that this phenomenon represents an aberrant immune response. Like the more common presentation of solitary dermatofibromas, these lesions are benign, and no treatment is required. However, MEDF is increasingly recognized as a sign of immune dysregulation and an appropriate work-up should be initiated to identify an underlying cause in patients without a known trigger.

We report the case of a 30-year-old woman with a three-year history of papules, nodules, and multiple ulcers of the left lower extremity. A skin biopsy specimen showed dermal fibrosis and patchy granulomatous inflammation in the upper-to-mid dermis that was associated with a perivascular, lymphohistiocytic infiltrate along with granulomas and necrosis in the subcutaneous fat. Tissue culture showed Mycobacterium avium complex infection. Clinical manifestations of cutaneous nontuberculous mycobacterial infections are discussed as well as their potential association with pedicures.

We report the first case of direct immunoflourescence-proven immunoglobulin A (IgA) vasculitis associated with influenza infection in an adult patient. IgA vasculitis, which was previously known as Henoch-Schonlein purpura, is the most common systemic vasculitis in children but rarely occurs in adults. Disease onset often occurs after upper respiratory tract infections that are caused by adenovirus or enterovirus. The American College of Rheumatology defines IgA vasculitis by the presence of any two of the following four criteria: age