title: Diagnosis of fusariosis in urine cytology.
abstract: Fusarium is a filamentous fungus widely distributed in plants and in the soil. Most species are more common at tropical and subtropical areas. Besides being a common contaminant and a well-known plant pathogen, Fusarium sp may cause various infections in humans. However, it has not yet been reported as being the pathogen of urinary tract infection. A 67-year-old woman had extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy and percutaneous nephrolithotomy for renal stones 7 and 6 years ago, respectively. She had had fever, chillness, urinary urgency and frequency for 6 days. Routine testing of urine showed numerous leucocytes. She was admitted under the impression of urinary tract infection. On admission, many spindle-shaped structures were found in the urine smears. This shows that Fusarium was identified. Fusarium may be the pathogen of the urinary tract infection, particularly when urolithiasis is present.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pathology, Buddhist Dalin Tzu Chi General Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan. sucpo@yahoo.com.tw
authors.forename: Cheng-Chuan
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: Hui-Jine
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: Jiunn-Jong
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Chien-Wen
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Chou
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005670:Fusarium / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007669:Kidney Calculi / Q000150:complications; D009181:Mycoses / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009894:Opportunistic Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016482:Urinalysis / Q000379:methods; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*