title: Allergic fungal rhinosinusitis due to Curvularia lunata.
abstract: We report a case of Curvularia lunata infection in an immunocompetent male with an initial diagnosis of suspected left side allergic fungal rhinosinusitis (AFRS), treated surgically. He had a relapse of nasal polyposis and underwent a surgical revision under local anaesthesia with endoscopic nasal polypectomy. The histological examination of the surgical specimen showed an inflammatory polyp of the paranasal sinuses, with eosinophil and lymphocyte infiltration, but without evidence of fungi. However, Curvularia spp fungus grew in cultures of nasal sinus drainage and bioptical specimens. The fungus was identified by DNA sequencing as C. lunata. The patient was then treated with itraconazole (200 mg BID for 4 weeks), mometasone furoate nasal spray (100 mcg BID for 6 months) and normal saline nasal irrigations. At the last follow-up endoscopic evaluation after 19 month from treatment, the patient was symptomless and free from disease. No polyp recurrence nor seromucous discharges were noticed. This first case of C. lunata-associated AFRS reported in Italy, highlights the difficulty of this diagnosis and the usefulness of molecular identification of the fungal species involved.
authors.affiliation: S.C. Medicina di Laboratorio/Virologia e Microbiologia, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cavanna
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Seminari
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pusateri
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mangione
authors.forename: Fabiola
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lallitto
authors.forename: Maria Carmela
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Esposto
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pagella
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D001203:Ascomycota / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D017964:Itraconazole / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008297:Male; D012220:Rhinitis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D012852:Sinusitis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D017964:Itraconazole