Extensive Lichenified Eruption Caused by Trichophyton Rubrum

The purpose of this paper is to report 4 cases, 2 in detail, of extensive lichenified dermatitis caused by Trichophyton rubrum (Castellani 1910; Sabouraud 1911), an organism rarely found in this part of the country. While Ota1has shown this organism to be frequently the cause of "eczema marginatum" in Japan and Manchuria, Weidman2in a discussion of the geographic distribution of T. (purpureum) rubrum showed not only that it was frequently found in Japan and Manchuria but that it was also common in the southern part of the United States. Hodges3also reported finding this fungus in cases of eczema marginatum, onychomycosis and dermatitis interdigitalis in the south. From New York, Lewis, Montgomery and Hopper4have recently reported on it in dermatoses simulating arsenical keratosis, neurodermatitis, eczema, sycosis vulgaris and erythema annulare centrifugum. The organism reported by the latter authors appears to be similar to