Caecal malakoplakia: a rare mimic of malignancy.

Malakoplakia is a rare granulomatous disease. Its aetiology is unclear but possible theories include infection with microorganisms (especially Escherichia coli), immunosuppression and impaired lysosomal function. It has been commonly documented to affect the genitourinary tract but can affect any organ, with the gastrointestinal system being the next most affected. We present a woman in her 70s, with a 2-week history of right-sided abdominal pain, 13 years following her renal transplant. She was admitted for treatment of an E. coli bacteraemia. CT scan had shown a caecal pole mass, highly suspicious for malignancy. It was surgically resected, and histology revealed findings of malakoplakia within the colon. Surgical intervention was combined with a prolonged course of antibiotics for successful treatment. We highlight the ability of malakoplakia to mimic malignancy and should be considered in the differentials in the context of an immunosuppressed patient with radiological findings of a colonic mass.

Bifocal malakoplakia in a patient living with HIV: case report.

BACKGROUND: Malakoplakia is a rare chronic granulomatous disease characterized by the presence of Michaelis-Gutmann bodies (MGBs) within histiocytic aggregates. It predominantly affects immunocompromised individuals, including those living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). CASE PRESENTATION: We present a unique case of bifocal malakoplakia in a 49-year-old man, previously with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and HIV positive, presented with respiratory symptoms, weight loss, and lymphadenopathy. He had various infections including Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM), Cytomegalovirus (CMV), and Candida, with evolving lung and gastrointestinal issues. Despite treatment attempts, he deteriorated due to respiratory distress, multi-organ failure, and coagulopathy, leading to his unfortunate demise. CONCLUSION: This report presents a distinctive and complex case of malakoplakia in an HIV-positive patient, a rare inflammatory disorder originally described by Michaelis and Gutmann in 1902. The hallmark Michaelis-Gutmann organisms were observed, confirming the diagnosis. While typically affecting the urinary tract, this case demonstrates the exceptional ability of malakoplakia to manifest in various organ systems, including pulmonary, gastrointestinal, and more. Although Escherichia coli is a prevalent associated pathogen, the exact cause remains elusive. Treatment, often involving surgical excision and antibiotic therapy, underscores the challenging nature of managing this condition in immunocompromised individuals.

A Rare Case of Prostatic Malakoplakia Associated with Prostate Adenocarcinoma: A Case Report and Review of Literature.

Malakoplakia is a chronic granulomatous condition that has been rarely seen affecting the prostate. Isolated malakoplakia of the prostate occurring together with prostatic adenocarcinoma is rarer still with only 9 previously recorded cases. We present a case diagnosed through needle biopsy with prostatic adenocarcinoma and then on subsequent prostatectomy was diagnosed with extensive malakoplakia occurring with the carcinoma. Patient was noted to have a urinary tract infection (UTI) 2 weeks after needle biopsy and notably, 4 of the 9 previously reported cases also presented with UTI following their biopsies. The theory that prostatic malakoplakia may be a complication of the prostate needle biopsy is logically possible, but due to the paucity in cases, it is difficult to infer causality.

FDG-Avid Malakoplakia of the Ureter Mimicking Malignancy.

ABSTRACT: Malacoplakia is a rare chronic granulomatous disease and frequently associated with Escherichia coli infection. We describe the contrast-enhanced CT and FDG PET/CT findings in a case of bladder and ureteral malakoplakia with E. coli urinary tract infection. Contrast-enhanced CT showed multiple enhancing mural nodules in the bladder and left ureter, ranging from several millimeters to 3.1 cm. The ureteral nodules showed significantly increased FDG uptake with SUVmax of 20.4, due to histiocyte, lymphocyte, and plasma cell infiltrates revealed by histopathology.

18F-FDG PET/CT in a Patient With Epididymo-Testicular Malacoplakia.

ABSTRACT: A 56-year-old man presented with a 2-month history of a mass in the right epididymo-testicular region, which exhibited heterogeneous high avidity for 18F-FDG on PET/CT. Malignant tumor was highly suspected, leading to subsequent right orchiectomy and epididymectomy. Histopathological examination revealed the presence of characteristic Michaelis-Gutmann bodies within von Hansemann macrophages, confirming the diagnosis of malacoplakia.

Malakoplakia with aberrant ALK expression by immunohistochemistry: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Malakoplakia is a rare inflammatory disease of the urogenital tract. There have been no reports of malakoplakia expressing anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) to date. Here, we present one case of malakoplakia with aberrant ALK expression by immunohistochemistry and discuss the clinical significance. CASE PRESENTATION: A 65-year-old Chinese woman with a history of diabetes presented with solid masses in the liver and kidney and elevated lesions on the mucosal surface of the colon. Right nephrectomy and partial liver resection were performed. Microscopically, sheets of histiocytes with poor intercellular adhesion were seen, with Michaelis-Gutmann bodies present in both the intracellular and extracellular interstitium. CD10-, CD68-, and CD163-positive cells were present, with Michaelis-Gutmann bodies confirmed by staining with Alcian blue, periodic acid-Schiff (PAS), periodic acid-Schiff with diastase, Von Kossa, and Prussian blue. Aberrant ALK1 and ALK (D5F3) expression was observed in the cytoplasm and nucleus of cells. However, ALK gene mutation was not detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization or whole exome next-generation sequencing. NGS revealed nine individual somatic gene mutations: GOT1L1, GLIS2, SPOUT1, TMEM97, MUC3A, NSD2, SFXN5, ADAD1 and RAD50. The significance of the somatic gene mutations detected in this study is not clear, and the relationship between them and malakoplakia cannot be clarified by existing scientific studies. The pathological diagnosis was malakoplakia with aberrant ALK expression by immunohistochemistry. The antibiotics imipenem and vancomycin were started based on the results of drug sensitivity analysis and the patient was subsequently discharged. She experienced no discomfort during 30 months of follow-up. CONCLUSION: This is the first reported case of malakoplakia with aberrant ALK expression, it should be differentiated from ALK-positive histiocytosis to avoid misdiagnosis.

A case of canine intestinal malakoplakia.

Malakoplakia is a rare chronic granulomatous disease usually affecting the urinary bladder and other locations. In humans, the gastrointestinal tract is the second most common location but there are no reports of intestinal malakoplakia in animals. A 10-month-old female French Bulldog was presented with chronic haemorrhagic diarrhoea and anorexia with normochromic-normocytic anaemia and hypoalbuminaemia. Grossly, there was mucosal thickening and ulceration of the caecum, colon and rectum. Microscopically, transmural sheets of foamy macrophages were seen in these tissues. Macrophages were periodic acid-Schiff, vimentin and ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule 1 positive and contained von Kossa- and Prussian blue-positive Michaelis-Gutmann bodies. Giemsa staining revealed rod-shaped bacterial colonies and fluorescence in-situ hybridization demonstrated Escherichia coli within macrophages. This is the first reported case of intestinal malakoplakia in domestic animals. Pathological features of intestinal malakoplakia share many similarities with ulcerative histiocytic colitis in dogs but it is unclear if they are different forms of the same pathological process or distinct entities.

A Case of Urinary Bladder Malakoplakia in a Young French Bulldog: Diagnostic and Therapeutic Issues.

A 3-month-old female French Bulldog presented with hematuria, severe pollakiuria, and urinary incontinence lasting for 1.5 months. Broad-spectrum empirical antibiotic therapy and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were initiated by the referring veterinarian. Due to a lack of improvement, the dog was referred. At referral examination, urinary clinical signs persisted (hematuria, severe pollakiuria) and a firm bladder was noted. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed severe, diffuse bladder wall thickening with a significant reduction in the bladder lumen. Urinary tract endoscopy showed whitish exophytic proliferations throughout the entire bladder wall. Histological bladder wall analysis led to a diagnosis of bladder malakoplakia. Prolonged antibiotic therapy with fluoroquinolones was prescribed and resulted in clinical remission despite persistent bacteria in the bladder wall. This report describes a case of successfully medically managed bladder malakoplakia, a very rare condition in veterinary medicine, well documented in humans.

Multiple-Organ Involvement of Malakoplakia Mimicking Malignant Neoplasms on 18 F-FDG PET/CT.

ABSTRACT: Abdominal contrast-enhanced CT was performed in a 61-year-old man with difficulties of urination and defecation for 4 months, which revealed huge rectal masses involving multiple adjacent organs, suspected as malignant lesions. 18 F-FDG PET/CT was subsequently performed for staging. The images showed intense FDG uptake and slightly hyperdense masses involving rectum, bladder, prostate, left ureter, and the anterior abdominal wall at the level of the pelvic cavity. Histopathological examination confirmed the masses were due to malakoplakia, which displayed as abundant von Hansemann cells aggregated and infiltrated in lesions, with distinctive cytoplasmic inclusions termed Michaelis-Gutmann bodies.

Cutaneous malakoplakia.

Malakoplakia is a form of chronic, granulomatous, inflammatory condition which usually affects the genitourinary tract or other internal organs of immunocompromised patients. It is usually caused by acquired bactericidal incapacity of macrophages in connection to Eschericia coli infection. This case report presents an extremely rare case of cutaneous malakoplakia in the left axilla of a 48-year-old male patient, who had undergone kidney transplant one year earlier. The clinical presentation of cutaneous malakoplakia varies from nodules to plaques and moist wounds. The primary treatment is long-term antibiotic therapy.

[Colonic malakoplakia: Rare disease that can mimic a consuntive syndrome]. / Malacoplaquia del colon: Rara enfermedad que puede presentarse como un sindrome consuntivo.

Colonic malacoplakia is an unusual cause of chronic diarrhea, and it may present as a consumptive disease. At the colon, it can induce ulcerative and erosive nodular lesions, that mimic other common granulomatous or infectious diseases. Diagnosis is support in biopsies showing groups of histiocytes, with typical Michaelis-Gutmann inclusions, which are positive with the Von Kossa stain. We present the case of a 55-year-old male, without associated diseases, who presented with diarrhea, weight loss and anemia, showing a very good clinical response to antibiotics.

Presacral malakoplakia presenting as foot drop: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Malakoplakia is a rare condition characterized by inflammatory masses with specific histological characteristics. These soft tissue masses can mimic tumors and tend to develop in association with chronic or recurrent infections, typically of the urinary tract. A specific defect in innate immunity has been described. In the absence of randomized controlled trials, management is based on an understanding of the biology and on case reports. CASE PRESENTATION: Here we describe a case of presacral malakoplakia in a British Indian woman in her late 30s, presenting with complex unilateral foot drop. Four years earlier, she had suffered a protracted episode of intrapelvic sepsis following a caesarean delivery. Resection of her presacral soft tissue mass was not possible. She received empiric antibiotics, a cholinergic agonist, and ascorbic acid. She responded well to medical management both when first treated and following a recurrence of symptoms after completing an initial 8 months of therapy. Whole exome sequencing of the patient and her parents was undertaken but no clear causal variant was identified. CONCLUSIONS: Malakoplakia is uncommon but the diagnosis should be considered where soft tissue masses develop at the site of chronic or recurrent infections. Obtaining tissue for histological examination is key to making the diagnosis. This case suggests that surgical resection is not always needed to achieve a good clinical and radiological outcome.

Successful treatment of malakoplakia of the liver and skin in a pediatric liver transplant patient.

BACKGROUND: Malakoplakia occurs uncommonly at any age, but pediatric reports are exceptionally limited. Malakoplakia appears primarily in the urinary tract, although involvement of essentially all organs has been reported, cutaneous malakoplakia is very uncommon and liver involvement is the rarest. METHOD: We report the first pediatric case of concurrent hepatic and cutaneous malakoplakia in a pediatric liver transplant recipient. We also provide a literature review for cutaneous malakoplakia cases in children. RESULT: A 16-year-old male received a deceased-donor liver transplant for autoimmune hepatitis, present with the persistence of the liver mass of unknown etiology and cutaneous plaque-like lesions around the surgical scar. Core biopsies taken from the skin and abdominal wall lesions demonstrated histiocytes containing Michaelis-Gutmann bodies (MGB) revealing the diagnosis. The patient successfully was treated with antibiotics alone for 9 months without surgical intervention or a decrease in immunosuppressive therapy. CONCLUSION: This case demonstrates the need to include malakoplakia in the differential diagnosis of mass-forming lesions after solid transplantation and increase awareness of this very rare entity in pediatrics.

[A Case of Malacoplakia of the Prostate which was Difficult to Distinguish from Prostate Cancer].

A 70-year-old-man was referred with urination pain and pyuria. Prostate specific antigen was 10.6 ng/ml, and urine culture was Escherichia coli. The abdominal ultrasonography showed irregular low echo at the right lobe of prostate. Prostate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed an extracapsular infiltrated prostate tumor in the right lobe. Levofloxacin was administered and prostate biopsy was performed. The pathological examination revealed that the prostate tissue was filled with inflammatory cells and had lost its glandular duct structure. The patient was diagnosed with malacoplakia of the prostate. Four months after prostate biopsy, prostate MRI imaging showed disappearance of the extracapsular infiltration in right peripheral zone.

A Surgical Challenge Generated by Colonic Malakoplakia in Disguise as a Locally Advanced Colonic Malignancy-A Case Report.

Colonic malakoplakia is an uncommon granulomatous development of cells resulting from the impaired capacity of the mononuclear cells to eliminate the phagocytosed bacteria, and in rare cases it can also affect the gastrointestinal tract. We report the case of a 78-year-old female patient that was admitted to hospital by The Emergency Department with the diagnosis of bowel obstruction, confirmed by the clinical and paraclinical investigations. We decided to surgically manage the case for suspicious symptomatic colonic neoplasm. The histological examination of the surgical specimens revealed colonic malakoplakia, characterized by the presence of the aggregated granular histiocytes and Michaelis-Gutmann bodies. Through this paper, we want to raise awareness for Malakoplakia, which remains an extremely rare disease that may affect multiple organs, and because it does not present specific symptoms or clinical manifestations, the final diagnosis remains the histopathological study. The clinical conduct should be decided after taking into consideration all the aspects of this pathology along with the benefits and risks for the patient.