title: Intervertebral disc space infection caused by Aspergillus fumigatus.
abstract: The authors describe the case of a 53-year-old woman who suffered from an Aspergillus fumigatus infection of the L2/3 intervertebral disc space unrelated to previous operations on her lumbar spine. After surgical debridement combined with amphotericin therapy she died on the 23rd postoperative day from a fulminant bacterial sepsis of pulmonary origin. Although she had intermittently used steroids for bronchial asthma, this is an unusual case of fungal infection of the lumbar spine in an apparently immunocompetent patient.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California San Francisco, School of Medicine, USA.
authors.forename: E W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Lang
authors.forename: L H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Pitts
mesh_terms: D000666:Amphotericin B / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D001228:Aspergillosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D001232:Aspergillus fumigatus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D015299:Discitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000628:therapy; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D007403:Intervertebral Disc / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D007796:Laminectomy; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D000666:Amphotericin B