Trichodysplasia spinulosa in a child: Identification of trichodysplasia spinulosa-associated polyomavirus in skin, serum, and urine

Abstract

A 6-year-old girl with a history of chronic immunosuppression following small bowel and colon transplantation for tufting enteropathy presented with a diffuse, facial-predominant eruption composed of pink-to-skin-colored papules with central white dystrophic spicules. Histology from a punch biopsy and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from plucked spicules confirmed a diagnosis of trichodysplasia spinulosa (TS). Additional molecular studies identified several strains of the trichodysplasia spinulosa-associated polyomavirus infecting multiple tissues of the patient, confirming the systemic nature of trichodysplasia spinulosa infections.

Keywords: diagnosis; pediatric; trichodysplasia spinulosa; trichodysplasia spinulosa-associated polyomavirus.