title: Successful treatment of disseminated Aspergillosis in a leukemic child.
abstract: The incidence of severe fungal infections in the immunocompromised patient with malignancies has increased in recent years. This appears to be associated to the profound periods of immunosuppression and the extended use of broad spectrum antibiotics. Aspergillosis is the second most common fungal infection reported in the immunocompromised cancer patients. In patients with advanced immunosupression, the mortality due to invasive aspergillosis approaches 100% despite treatment with antifungal agents. Reports of complete or partial response to echinocandins are well demonstrated in adults, but very limited in the pediatric population. This report describes the case of a child with relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who developed cutaneous aspergillosis and subsequent multiorgan dissemination during therapeutic induction and was treated successfuly with caspofungin acetate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico. nilkabarrios@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Nilka J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Barrios
authors.forename: Maria E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Echevarría
authors.forename: Roman
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Velez
mesh_terms: D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001228:Aspergillosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D001230:Aspergillus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000077336:Caspofungin; D002648:Child; D054714:Echinocandins; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D055666:Lipopeptides; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic / Q000627:therapeutic use; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D054714:Echinocandins; D055666:Lipopeptides; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic; D000077336:Caspofungin