Microscopic, cultural and molecular evidence of disseminated invasive aspergillosis involving the lungs and the gastrointestinal tract.
A patient with acute promyelocytic leukaemia developed invasive aspergillosis post chemotherapy during a pancytopenic episode, clinically involving the lungs and the gastrointestinal tract. Dichotomously branched septate fungal hyphae were demonstrated microscopically in stools and sputa. Cultures of the samples yielded Aspergillus flavus, which were identical by RFLP and random amplification of polymorphic DNA analyses and antifungal MICs, proving disseminated disease. To the best of the author's knowledge, this is the first time that boluses of fungal hyphae have been demonstrated microscopically in the stools of a patient with gastrointestinal aspergillosis.
Jayshree
R S
RS
Shafiulla
M
M
George
J
J
David
J K
JK
Department of Medical Microbiology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh-160 012, India.
Bapsy
P P
PP
Chakrabarti
A
A
Department of Medical Microbiology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh-160 012, India.
D000293:Adolescent; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001229:Aspergillosis, Allergic Bronchopulmonary / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D001231:Aspergillus flavus / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D015473:Leukemia, Promyelocytic, Acute / Q000382:microbiology; D008172:Lung Diseases, Fungal / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D019105:Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Technique; D013183:Sputum / Q000382:microbiology
D000935:Antifungal Agents; D004271:DNA, Fungal