Endogenous endophthalmitis following disseminated fungemia due to Fusarium solani in a patient with acute myeloid leukemia.
We report the case of a young man with a resistant acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who developed a disseminated fungemia due to Fusarium solani involving the skin and lungs, during the neutropenic phase following a chemotherapy course. Despite continuous therapy with liposomal amphotericin B, he developed a bilateral endophthalmitis that rapidly evolved to complete blindness. The patient underwent two procedures of vitrectomy, with detection of F. solani in the vitreous fluid, and continued antifungal therapy, without any recovery of visual acuity. When he eventually died due to recurrence of leukemia and hemorrhagic shock, autopsy revealed a diffuse fusarial involvement of the central nervous system.
Tiribelli
Mario
M
Division of Hematology, University of Udine, Ospedale Santa Maria della Misericordia, I-13300 Udine, Italy. ematologia@dmm.uniud.it
Zaja
Francesco
F
Filì
Carla
C
Michelutti
Teresa
T
Prosdocimo
Simonetta
S
Candoni
Anna
A
Fanin
Renato
R
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity; D009877:Endophthalmitis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D016469:Fungemia / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D005670:Fusarium; D006801:Humans; D007951:Leukemia, Myeloid / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D009181:Mycoses