Mycopathologia
-
Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) is an endemic disease of humans from Latin America that is caused by Paracoccidioides brasiliensis and P. lutzii, with most cases of PCM in domestic animals being associated with P. brasiliensis. This study presents the clinical, cytological, mycological, serological, and molecular findings associated with P. brasiliensis in a dog from Southern Brazil. Fine needle biopsies were collected from the skin and several lymph nodes of a 5-year-old female Labrador dog that had enlargement of most superficial lymph nodes. ⋯ The combined cytological, mycological, serological, and molecular findings confirmed a diagnosis of fungal dermatitis and lymphadenitis due to P. brasiliensis in this dog. This case represents the third description of clinical PCM in dogs and the first confirmation of mycotic dermatitis associated with P. brasiliensis in this species. The participation of dogs in the possible dissemination of PCM is reviewed, and it is proposed that dogs are probable accidental hosts in the epidemiological cycle associated with P. brasiliensis.
-
Invasive fungal disease (IFD) remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients. ⋯ 1,3-β-D-glucan assay is helpful for early detection of IFD; moreover, elevated BDG levels can be used as a predictor for outcome in immunocompromised critically ill patients as presented in our study.
-
Case Reports
Unique Case of Pseudomembranous Aspergillus Tracheobronchitis: Tracheal Perforation and Horner's Syndrome.
Pseudomembranous aspergillus tracheobronchitis is an uncommon form of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, and it is generally seen in immunocompromised patients. We report about a mildly immunocompromised case with pseudomembranous aspergillus tracheobronchitis, which caused tracheal perforation, and Horner's syndrome. A 44-year-old female with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, complaining of fever and dyspnea, was admitted to the hospital. ⋯ Despite all treatments, respiratory failure developed on the 25th day and the patient died within 2 days. Pseudomembranous aspergillus tracheobronchitis is fatal in about 78 % of all cases despite appropriate therapy. Early diagnosis and efficient antifungal therapy may improve the prognosis.
-
The diagnosis of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) is still in challenge in clinical practice, particularly for those patients without an obvious neutropaenia. In this study, a well-validated qPCR method and Platelia galactomannan (GM) assay were compared for their diagnostic performance using paired samples of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and serum from predominantly non-neutropaenic patients. In the serum samples, qPCR showed a comparable performance with GM assay in terms of sensitivity and specificity. ⋯ A better sensitivity was obtained with BAL compared with serum samples for both GM assay (90 vs. 50 %) and qPCR (90 vs. 60 %). In conclusion, in non-neutropaenic patients, BAL appears to provide improved sensitivity for both GM and qPCR assays. BAL qPCR offers a better diagnostic value for IPA compared with BAL GM assay, significantly increasing the specificity without affecting the sensitivity.
-
Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) is an important cause of morbidity/mortality in critically ill patients with hematological malignancies. New diagnosis strategies include the noninvasive biomarkers 1,3-beta-D-glucan (BDG) and serum galactomannan (GM). ⋯ BDG is a sensitive marker for patients' surveillance at risk of IPA. In patients with hematological malignancies and septic shock, early diagnosis of IPA might be significantly improved by BDG compared to GM, also considering that BDG has the advantage of detecting fungal diseases other than IPA.