Mucocutaneous Manifestations of Fungal Infections in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Disease

Mucocutaneous manifestations of fungal disease are quite common in immunocompromised patients. The most frequent fungal infections include dermatophytoses of the skin and nails, candida and seborrheic dermatitis. Cryptococcosis, histoplasmosis and coccidioidomycosis are seen less commonly and when mucocutaneous surfaces are involved, it is in the setting of disseminated fungal disease. These infections may vary greatly in their clinical presentation and the appearance is often atypical. Thus it is essential to biopsy and culture the skin lesions of these patients whenever the diagnosis is uncertain. The high recurrence rate of fungal infections in human immunodeficiency virus-positive patients requires the use of long-term suppressive maintenance therapy. The emergence of newer antifungal agents has provided additional treatment alternatives.