AI Article Synopsis

  • Disseminated trichosporonosis is a rare fungal infection commonly seen in patients with blood cancers and low white blood cell counts, particularly those undergoing chemotherapy.
  • A 70-year-old man developed symptoms of this infection while on micafungin for suspected candidiasis, which was ineffective against Trichosporon asahii, leading to a skin rash and pneumonia.
  • After switching antifungals to voriconazole, the patient's blood culture came back negative for the fungus, but he ultimately died from leukemia, highlighting the need for awareness of skin symptoms in similar patients after antifungal treatment.

Article Abstract

Disseminated trichosporonosis is a rare fungal infection whose risk factors are hematological malignancies and neutropenia. Recently, breakthrough Trichosporon infections after administration of micafungin, the first-line systemic antifungal agent in compromised hosts, have been widely recognized. A man in his seventies about 1 month into chemotherapy for acute megakaryoblastic leukemia presented with a worsening fever and dyspnea. The patient was being administered with empirical micafungin therapy for suspected candidiasis. As the symptoms progressed, scattered erythema appeared on the trunk, some with a dark red vesicle at the center. Blood cultures identified Trichosporon asahii, as did the specimen of the skin biopsy. On the basis also of the presence of pneumonia on chest computed tomography, we confirmed the diagnosis of disseminated trichosporonosis and changed the antifungal agent from micafungin to voriconazole. Blood culture turned out to be negative 1 month after administrating voriconazole. However, the patient died of the leukemia. Our review of previous reports on cutaneous manifestations of disseminated trichosporonosis revealed that despite their morphological diversity, erythema with a red papule or vesicle at the center, implying necrosis, was also observed in previous cases. Our case report suggests that dermatologists should be aware of skin manifestations of disseminated trichosporonosis after micafungin administration, especially in cases of hematological malignancies.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.3314/mmj.23-00009DOI Listing

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