Tinea nigra is a mould infection of the skin of the palm or sole presenting as persistent brown or black patches.
Who gets tinea nigra?
Tinea nigra is most common in tropical regions and often infects those with a tendency to excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis).
What is the cause of tinea nigra?
Tinea nigra is due to infection with a brown mould, Hortaea werneckii. This mould usually inhabits soil.
The organism's previous names include:
Exophiala phaeoannellomyces
Phaeoannellomyces werneckii
Exophiala werneckii
Cladosporium werneckii.
In 2024, a new species of mould, Cyphellophora ludoviensis, was identified as the causative organism of a case in South Korea.
What are the clinical features of tinea nigra?
Tinea nigra presents as unilateral or asymmetrical brown or black patches on the palms or soles. They are slightly scaly and do not itch or sting. The patches slowly enlarge. Dermoscopy can help distinguish tinea nigra from other brown-black skin lesions.
Tinea nigra
Tinea nigra
Dermoscopy of tinea nigra
How is tinea nigra diagnosed?
Tinea nigra may be suspected clinically but should be confirmed by mycology. Scrapings that have been taken from the edge of the scaly lesion show a mycelium. The hyphae can be clear in colour, yellow or brown, and are septate.
Culture grows black colonies of Hortaea werneckii within a week.
Tinea nigra usually clears with a topical antifungal applied for 2–4 weeks.
Bibliography
Eksomtramage T, Aiempanakit K. Tinea nigra mimicking acral melanocytic nevi. IDCases. 2019;18:e00654. doi:10.1016/j.idcr.2019.e00654 Journal
Giordano L MC, De la Fuente L A, Lorca J MB, Kramer H D. Tinea nigra: report of three pediatrics cases. Rev Chil Pediatr. 2018;89(4):506–10. doi:10.4067/S0370-41062018005000404 Journal
Ibraheim MK, McNally MA, Tschen J. Interdigital tinea nigra. Cureus. 2020;12(4):e7579. doi:10.7759/cureus.7579 PubMed Central
Noguchi H, Hiruma M, Inoue Y, Miyata K, Tanaka M, Ihn H. Tinea nigra showing a parallel ridge pattern on dermoscopy. J Dermatol. 2015;42(5):518–20. doi:10.1111/1346-8138.12830 PubMed
Son, C. H., Jeong, S. M., Jung, J. H., et al. (2025). Cyphellophora ludoviensis: a new causative species of tinea nigra. British Journal of Dermatology, 192(2), 361–362. doi:10.1093/bjd/ljae390. Journal
