title: Visceral basidiobolomycosis: An overlooked infection in immunocompetent children.
abstract: Visceral basidiobolomycosis is an unusual fungal infection of viscera caused by saprophyte Basidiobolus ranarum. It is very rare in healthy children and poses a diagnostic challenge due to the non-specific clinical presentation and the absence of predisposing factors. We report a case of gastrointestinal basidiobolomycosis in a 4-year-old healthy girl who presented with a short history of abdominal pain, bleeding per rectum, fever, and weight loss. The diagnosis was based on high eosinophilic count, classical histopathology findings of fungal hyphae (the Splendore-Hoeppli phenomenon), and positive fungal culture from a tissue biopsy. Fungal infection was successfully eradicated with a combined approach of surgical resection of the infected tissue and a well-monitored course of antifungal therapy. The atypical clinical presentation, diagnostic techniques, and the role of surgery in the management of a rare and lethal fungal disease in an immunocompetent child are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Surgery, Hamad General Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Parkash
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mandhan
authors.forename: Kamal Osman
authors.initials: KO
authors.lastname: Hassan
authors.forename: Sandra Moustafa
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Samaan
authors.forename: Mansour J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Ali
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D020091:Entomophthorales / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D020096:Zygomycosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*