Black piedra is a chronic infection of hair shafts caused by a dematiaceous fungus.
Global distribution: tropics and subtropics
Hairs involved: scalp, facial hair, pubic hairs
Risk factors include:
(1) exposure to soil
(2) poor personal hygiene
(3) immunodeficiency
Species: Piedraia hortae
Clinical features: tiny dark colored nodules located along hair shaft
Diagnosis can be made by examination of infected hairs (branching hyphae held by a cement-like substance) or culture. Growth in culture is slow with dark-colored colonies.
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