Chronically recurrent and disseminated tinea faciei/corporis--autoinoculation from asymptomatic tinea capitis carriage.

We report clinical findings in a 12-year-old girl with long-term recurrent and disseminated multiple eruptions of tinea faciei and tinea corporis, which persisted for 10 years. Mycological examination revealed the dermatophyte Trichophyton tonsurans in both scale samples from the body lesions and in brushing samples from her asymptomatic scalp, suggesting that she was an asymptomatic dermatophyte carrier on the scalp, and autoinoculation of the dermatophyte was responsible for the recurrent and disseminated tinea faciei/corporis.