Trichophytonas a Rare Cause of Postoperative Wound Infection Resistant to Standard Empiric Antimicrobial Therapy

Abstract

Fungal infections are rare causes of acute surgical wound infections, butCandidais not an infrequent etiology in chronic wound infections.Trichophytonspecies is a common cause of tinea capitis but has not been reported as a cause of neurosurgical wound infection. We report a case ofTrichophyton tonsuranscausing a nonhealing surgical wound infection in a 14-year-old male after hemicraniectomy. His wound infection was notable for production of purulent exudate from the wound and lack of clinical improvement despite empiric treatment with multiple broad-spectrum antibiotics targeting typical bacterial causes of wound infection. Multiple wound cultures consistently grewTrichophytonfungus, and his wound infection clinically improved rapidly after starting terbinafine and discontinuing antibiotics.