Extensive tinea corporis caused by Microsporum canis in a patient with AIDS

Dermatophytosis in immunocompromised hosts is more varied and often more severe than in immunocompetent hosts. Early recognition and treatment with systemic therapy are important to people living with human immunodeficiency virus in order to prevent severe infection. We describe a case of disseminated extensive tinea corporis caused by Microsporum canis in a patient with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, which has long been misdiagnosed, and we emphasize the importance of conventional mycological examination that enables a fast, correct diagnosis, and thus better medical care.