A patient returning from a trip to tropical Africa comes to his physician noting scaly patches of skin along the waistband, which are lighter in color than his normal skin. A skin scraping reveals budding yeast and short septate hyphal elements, with some branching present. This organism, shown below, is most likely

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The clinical presentation of scaly patches of skin along the waistband, which are lighter in color than the normal skin, is consistent with tinea versicolor, a common superficial fungal infection caused by Malassezia furfur. The characteristic budding yeast and short septate hyphal elements, with some branching present, seen on skin scraping further support the diagnosis of Malassezia furfur infection. Trichophyton schoenleinii and Microsporum audouinii are dermatophytes that typically cause tinea capitis and would not present with the described skin lesions. Trichophyton rubrum commonly causes tinea pedis, tinea manuum, and onychomycosis, which do not present with skin lesions along the waistband.

A Patient Returning from a Trip to Tropical Africa Comes