title: Identification of fungal pathogens in a patient with acute myelogenic leukemia using a pathogen detection array technology.
abstract: Invasive zygomycosis in immunocompromised patients results in a high mortality rate, and early identification is crucial to optimize therapy and to reduce morbidity. However, diagnosing specific species of zygomycetes fungi possess challenge in the clinical laboratories. A need for a rapid and sensitive diagnostic tool for early recognition of a zygomycetes fungus in clinical samples to the species level will lead to prompt and accurate therapy and the PathoChip provides one such platform. We utilized a pathogen array technology referred to as PathoChip, comprised of oligonucleotide probes that can detect all the sequenced viruses as well as known pathogenic bacteria, fungi and parasites and family-specific conserved probes, thus providing a means for detecting previously uncharacterized members of a family. We rapidly identified a zygomycetous fungus, Rhizomucor pusillus, an otherwise challenge for the clinical laboratories, predominantly in a patient with acute myelogenous leukemia. This report highlights the value of PathoChip as a diagnostic tool to identify micro-organisms to the species level, especially for those difficult to identify in most clinical laboratories. It will also help clinicians to obtain a critical snapshot of the infection profile of a patient to plan treatment strategies.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Microbiology , University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia , PA , USA.
authors.forename: Sagarika
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Banerjee
authors.affiliation: a Department of Microbiology , University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia , PA , USA.
authors.forename: Kristen N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Peck
authors.affiliation: b Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine , University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia , PA , USA.
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Feldman
authors.affiliation: c Infectious Diseases Division, University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia , PA , PA , USA.
authors.forename: Mindy G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Schuster
authors.affiliation: d Department of Cancer Biology , University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia , PA , USA.
authors.forename: James C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Alwine
authors.affiliation: a Department of Microbiology , University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia , PA , USA.
authors.forename: Erle S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Robertson
mesh_terms: D005658:Fungi / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D020096:Zygomycosis / Q000378:metabolism*
keywords: Acute myelogenous leukemia; PathoChip; Rhizomucor; diagnostic; opportunistic fungal infection; pan-pathogen array; zygomycete