Acta dermatovenerologica Croatica : ADC
-
In the last twenty years, the prevalence of individuals with tattoos in the general population has increased in Europe (1) as well as in Australia (2) and the United States of America (3). A series of complications such as acute inflammatory reactions, allergic contact dermatitis (4,5), photoinduced, lichenoid, and granulomatous reactions (6, 7), pseudolymphoma (8), pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia (9), skin infections (6), and skin cancers (10) may occur on tattoos. Infectious complications on tattoos include bacterial infections (pyoderma, leprosy, syphilis, cutaneous tuberculosis, mycobacteriosis) (11-14), viral infections (molluscum contagiosum, warts, herpes simplex, hepatitis B and C) (15-17), and fungal infections (sporotrichosis, dermatophytosis) (18,19). ⋯ Ammirati reported dermatophyte infection caused by Trichophyton tonsurans that occurred two weeks after tattooing, clinically presenting as concentric annular lesions with active vesiculopustular edges which progressively included the entire tattoo (19). Similarly, in our case the infection with M. canis occurred during the healing phase, the dermatophyte lesion occurring after 18 days from tattoo application by direct contact with the dog parasitized with M. canis. In conclusion, dermatophyte infection of tattoos remains possible, although rare.