Trichosporon mycotoxinivorans, a novel respiratory pathogen in patients with cystic fibrosis.
This report describes the molecular epidemiology, in vitro susceptibility, colonial and microscopic morphologies, and biochemical features of Trichosporon mycotoxinivorans, a newly recognized pathogen that appears to have a propensity for patients with cystic fibrosis. The index patient died with histologically documented Trichosporon pneumonia complicating cystic fibrosis. This is also the first report of disease caused by a Trichosporon species in a nontransplant patient with cystic fibrosis. As T. mycotoxinivorans has not previously been recognized as a respiratory pathogen, the significance of its recovery from sputum samples was not initially appreciated. Genetic analysis of archived clinical samples found three additional cases of T. mycotoxinivorans infection which had previously been identified as other members of the genus. An additional isolate of T. mycotoxinivorans was identified from a clinical sample on initial testing. Three of these four cases were also patients with cystic fibrosis. All isolates had MICs at 48 h of amphotericin B of > or = 1 microg/ml and of echinocandins of > or = 16 microg/ml, but they displayed various susceptibilities to the triazoles. In summary, Trichosporon mycotoxinivorans is a newly recognized human pathogen that is associated with cystic fibrosis.
Hickey
Patrick W
PW
Division of Pediatric Infectious Disease, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA. phickey@usuhs.mil
Sutton
Deanna A
DA
Fothergill
Annette W
AW
Rinaldi
Michael G
MG
Wickes
Brian L
BL
Schmidt
Howard J
HJ
Walsh
Thomas J
TJ
D000666:Amphotericin B / Q000494:pharmacology; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000150:complications*; D054714:Echinocandins / Q000494:pharmacology; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D008172:Lung Diseases, Fungal / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009181:Mycoses / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014230:Triazoles / Q000494:pharmacology; D014250:Trichosporon / Q000145:classification* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*
D000935:Antifungal Agents; D054714:Echinocandins; D014230:Triazoles; D000666:Amphotericin B