Tinea versicolor

Christopher J. Hoffmann, M.D., M.P.H.

Tinea versicolor is a topic covered in the Johns Hopkins ABX Guide.

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PATHOGENS

Malassezia furfur (Pityrosporum ovale): the pathogen in a majority of cases.
Malassezia globosa
Malassezia symphodialis
Malassezia silffiae
Growth of these yeasts in cultures requires special media.
- Sabouraud dextrose agar overlaid with olive oil required with incubation at 30°C.
  - Other strategies include:
    - Modified Leeming and Notham agar (Kanekoet al.2007)
    - Modified Dixon’s agar
    - CHROMagar Malassezia medium is commercially available and isolates most common Malassezia species.
- Colonies often difficult to distinguish in the oil layer.

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PATHOGENS

Malassezia furfur (Pityrosporum ovale): the pathogen in a majority of cases.
Malassezia globosa
Malassezia symphodialis
Malassezia silffiae
Growth of these yeasts in cultures requires special media.
- Sabouraud dextrose agar overlaid with olive oil required with incubation at 30°C.
  - Other strategies include:
    - Modified Leeming and Notham agar (Kanekoet al.2007)
    - Modified Dixon’s agar
    - CHROMagar Malassezia medium is commercially available and isolates most common Malassezia species.
- Colonies often difficult to distinguish in the oil layer.

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