A 62-year-old woman with myelodysplastic syndrome presented with a 4-week history of a large indurated ulcer with a black eschar on the forearm following trauma. On biopsy a diagnosis of zygomycosis was made as broad, sparsely septate, thin-walled hyphae were seen in the deep dermis and subcutaneous fat. The zygomycete fungus Mucor circinelloides was cultured from tissue. Further investigation confirmed that the infection was localized to the skin. The 6 x 4 cm lesion was excised and the defect closed with a neurovascular island flap. No other treatment was undertaken. The patient died 6 months later from her haematological disease without recurrence of the fungal infection.

Objective: To investigate a reported increase in tinea capitis in an English‐language school to determine if it was an outbreak and whether control measures were warranted. Design: Cross‐sectional study. Setting and population: Primary school children enrolled at an English‐language school in an outer suburb of Melbourne were screened for tinea capitis in November 2005 by clinical examination, collection of scalp, skin or nail specimens where clinically indicated, and scalp brushing. Main outcome measures: Clinical diagnosis of tinea capitis confirmed by microscopy and culture. Results: Parental consent was obtained for 180 children (98%), of whom 153 (85%) were screened. Dermatophytes were isolated from 21% (32/153) of the children screened, comprising 23 infected children (cases) and 9 carriers. Three dermatophyte species were identified: Trichophyton soudanense, Trichophyton violaceum and Microsporum audouinii. Cases and carriers were significantly different to non‐cases by ethnicity (P = 0.010): a higher proportion came from Africa, notably Sudan, and Arabic countries. Conclusions: Although our result may reflect what is expected in these migrant groups, tinea capitis caused by these three dermatophyte species is rare in Australian school children. Tinea capitis may continue to be a problem in these groups on account of continuing migration.

Fungal peritonitis due to Curvularia species in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis is a very rare problem. We report a case of peritonitis caused by Curvularia inaequalis. This is the first report in the English literature of this species causing human infection. We also review the six previously reported cases of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis peritonitis caused by other Curvularia species.

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Sequence analysis of the highly variable internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions 1 and 2 of the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) of the nuclear DNA has been used to explore the phylogeny of the dermatophytes. Results have led some investigators to recommend that a number of dermatophyte species be reduced to synonymy with other established species. One such recommendation is that both varieties of the zoophilic dermatophyte Trichophyton equinum be reduced to synonymy with the anthropophilic species T. tonsurans. The morphologies of both species are reviewed, as are their roles in human infection, their physiological characteristics and their respective ecologies. Close examination of these attributes shows clear differences between the varieties of T. equinum and T. tonsurans. The significance of the homogeneity of the ITS sequences of these two dermatophytes is discussed in the context of more recent appraisals of the results of ITS sequencing in other fungi. It is concluded that the results of ITS analysis for both varieties of T. equinum and T. tonsurans are indicative only of common ancestry. Similar arguments could be put forward for rescinding other changes in dermatophyte nomenclature that have been published in recent years.