Fusariosis in Mexico: A 10-year retrospective series.

Fusarium species represent an opportunistic fungal pathogen. The data in Mexico about Fusarium infections in humans are scarce. Here, we present a retrospective series of patients with a confirmed diagnosis of fusariosis in eight different hospitals in Mexico from January 2010 to December 2019. The diagnosis of proven fusariosis was made according to the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer and the Mycoses Study Group Education and Research Consortium (EORT/MSG) criteria. A total of 49 cases were identified in our series. Most patients had burn injuries (49%), and 37% had hematological malignancies. Most patients had fire injuries (40%), followed by electric injuries (8%), febrile neutropenia (10%), and pancytopenia (6%). Patients had skin and soft tissue involvement in 49%, followed by blood culture isolation and biopsies from different sites of the body (lung, sinuses, bone tissue, and eyes). Febrile neutropenia (10%) and fungemia (8%) were the most common clinical syndromes in immunosuppressed patients. Most patients received monotherapy (67%), where voriconazole was used in 30% of the cases, followed by conventional amphotericin B (16%), and lipidic formulations of amphotericin B in 10% (either liposomal amphotericin B or amphotericin B lipid complex). Combination therapy was used in 20% of the cases, and the most common combination therapy was triazole plus any lipidic formulation of amphotericin B (10%). Mortality related to Fusarium infection occurred in 22% of patients. Fusariosis is a serious threat. Burn injuries and hematologic malignancies represent the most common causes of infection in this small series from Mexico.

This study describes the epidemiological characteristics of patients with fusariosis from a multicenter cohort in Mexico. These findings provide information from this invasive fungal disease that threatens different countries in Latin America.

Invasive Fungal Infection Caused by Magnusiomyces capitatus in an Immunocompromised Pediatric Patient with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Mexico City: A Case Report.

Magnusiomyces capitatus (also denominated "Geotrichum capitatum" and "the teleomorph stage of Saprochaete capitata") mainly affects immunocompromised patients with hematological malignancies in rare cases of invasive fungal infections (IFIs). Few cases have been reported for pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), in part because conventional diagnostic methods do not consistently detect M. capitatus in infections. The current contribution describes a systemic infection in a 15-year-old female diagnosed with ALL. She arrived at the Children's Hospital of Mexico City with a fever and neutropenia and developed symptoms of septic shock 4 days later. M. capitatus ENCB-HI-834, the causal agent, was isolated from the patient's blood, urine, bile, and peritoneal fluid samples. It was identified with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and a phylogenetic reconstruction using internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and 28S ribosomal sequences. The phylogenetic sequence of M. capitatus ENCB-HI-834 clustered with other M. capitatus-type strains with a 100% identity. In vitro antifungal testing, conducted with the Sensititre YeastOne susceptibility system, found the following minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values (µg/mL): posaconazole 0.25, amphotericin B 1.0, fluconazole > 8.0, itraconazole 0.25, ketoconazole 0.5, 5-flucytosine ≤ 0.06, voriconazole 0.25, and caspofungin > 16.0. No clinical breakpoints have been defined for M. capitatus. This is the first clinical case reported in Mexico of an IFI caused by M. capitatus in a pediatric patient with ALL. It emphasizes the importance of close monitoring for a timely and accurate diagnosis of neutropenia-related IFIs to determine the proper treatment with antibiotics, antifungals, and chemotherapy for instance including children with ALL.

Successful posaconazole salvage therapy for rhinocerebral mucormycosis in a child with leukemia. Review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Mucormycosis is a fungal infection caused by species of the Mucorales order. These microorganisms are angioinvasive, with rapid disease progression and potentially lethal in its rhinocerebral form. CASE REPORT: We present the case of a 12-year-old female with trisomy 21, acute lymphoblastic leukemia and diabetes, with fever and neutropenia who developed rhinocerebral mucormicosis. After treatment with amphotericin B lipid complex and extensive surgery, disease progressed and posaconazole was added as salvage treatment with full remission of the infection. Four years after diagnosis the patient continues without relapse of mucormycosis or leukemia. CONCLUSIONS: This case highlights the use of posaconazole as either monotherapy or combined therapy. Although it is still debated, it can be considered an option for salvage treatment in children with non-responding mucormycosis, despite lack of standard dosage in pediatric patients.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of voriconazole, fluconazole, and amphotericin B for invasive fungal infections following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in Mexico.

BACKGROUND: Patients receiving allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT) are at high risk of invasive fungal infections (IFIs), which are associated with high mortality and economic burden. The cost-effectiveness of prophylaxis for the prevention of IFIs in alloHSCT recipients in Mexico has not yet been assessed. METHODS: This analysis modeled a hypothetical cohort of 1,000 patients to estimate costs and outcomes for patients receiving prophylaxis for IFIs following alloHSCT, from the perspective of institutional payers in Mexico. The main prophylaxis agents currently used in Mexican clinical practice are voriconazole, fluconazole, and amphotericin B (AmB). The model accounted for event rates of IFIs during each treatment, assuming IFI causality due to invasive aspergillosis, invasive candidiasis, or other IFIs, and that the outcome for patients during follow-up was IFI-related death, death from other causes, or survival. Clinical efficacies were obtained from published literature; costs were based on local sources. Cost-effectiveness was assessed using incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs). Univariate (assessing the impact of varying each model parameter) and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed. RESULTS: Voriconazole was associated with the lowest number of breakthrough IFIs, IFI-related deaths, and total number of deaths. Total costs were lower for fluconazole (Mexican pesos [MXN] 72,944; US $4,079) than voriconazole (MXN 101,413; US $5,671) or AmB (MXN 110,529; US $6,180). Voriconazole had better clinical outcomes and lower costs than AmB and could be considered cost-effective compared with fluconazole in line with the local ICER threshold. Drug costs, monitoring costs, and duration of prophylaxis were most sensitive to variation from univariate sensitivity analysis. Findings from the probabilistic sensitivity analysis were consistent with the base-case results. CONCLUSION: Voriconazole had the most favorable clinical outcomes, but overall prophylaxis costs were higher than with fluconazole. Overall, based on local ICER thresholds (MXN 184,665; US $10,326), voriconazole was considered a cost-effective option for prophylaxis of IFI in Mexico.

Disseminated penicilliosis due to Penicillium chrysogenum in a pediatric patient with Henoch-Schönlein syndrome.

A case of disseminated infection caused by Penicillium chrysogenum in a 10-year-old boy with a history of Henoch-Schönlein purpura and proliferative glomerulonephritis, treated with immunosuppressors, is reported herein. The patient had a clinical picture of 2 weeks of fever that did not respond to treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotics and amphotericin B. Computed tomography imaging showed diffuse cotton-like infiltrates in the lungs, hepatomegaly, mesenteric lymphadenopathy, and multiple well-defined round hypodense lesions in the spleen. His treatment was changed to caspofungin, followed by voriconazole. One month later, a splenic biopsy revealed hyaline septate hyphae of >1µm in diameter. Fungal growth was negative. However, molecular analysis showed 99% identity with P. chrysogenum. A therapeutic splenectomy was performed, and treatment was changed to amphotericin B lipid complex and caspofungin. The patient completed 2 months of treatment with resolution of the infection. P. chrysogenum is a rare causative agent of invasive fungal infections in immunocompromised patients, and its diagnosis is necessary to initiate the appropriate antifungal treatment.

Factores asociados a mortalidad por fungemias causadas por Candida sp. en niños / Risk factors associated with mortality due to Candida sp. infections in children

Introducción. Durante los últimos años se ha reportado un incremento dramático en la incidencia de infecciones causadas por levaduras, siendo creciente el aislamiento de especies de Candida no albicans, en donde los principales factores asociados a mortalidad son: edad, procedimientos invasivos y uso previo de antibióticos. Material y métodos. Se trata de un estudio retrospectivo de serie de casos, que incluyó niños mayores de un mes hasta 18 años de edad, con diagnóstico de infección sistémica por hongos, con aislamiento de Candida albicans de sitios estériles, durante el período de mayo 1999 a diciembre de 2004. Se revisaron los registros microbiológicos de aislamientos en sitios estériles (hemocultivo, urocultivo, LCR, biopsia de tejidos, etc.) para microorganismos del tipo de levaduras. La información se obtuvo de los registros del Laboratorio de Micología del Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez. Una vez obtenidos dichos datos, se procedió a revisar los expedientes de cada paciente, analizando factores asociados al momento de identificar la infección y el antecedente de estos factores en los 30 días previos al evento. El objetivo fue analizar los factores asociados a muerte. Resultados. Se observó incremento en las tasas de infección por 1 000 egresos de 1999 a 2004. Se encontraron 45 eventos infecciosos causados por Candida sp., con una mortalidad de 35.5%. No se identificó la especie en 18 pacientes, siendo C. albicans en 16 eventos, y otras Candidas no albicans en 24%. El diagnóstico de base fue: neoplasias en 12 pacientes, malformaciones del tubo digestivo y sepsis en 6, cardiopatías congénitas e insuficiencia renal en 3, enfermedades hepáticas en 4, y otras en 10 pacientes. Siendo de tipo nosocomial en 88.8%. El grupo de edad con mayor mortalidad fue en neonatos. Los principales factores asociados a ésta fueron el antecedente de plaquetopenia y neutropenia, así como el estar intubados al momento de la infección. Conclusiones. Las infecciones por Candida sp. continúan siendo una causa importante de morbilidad y mortalidad. La intubación, el antecedente de neutropenia y plaquetopenia, además del uso de antibióticos son factores asociados a mayor mortalidad. Existe un incremento en el aislamiento de especies de Candida no albicans.

Introduction. A dramatic increase in the incidence of fungal infections has been reported in recent years. This is especially true with regards to infections due to Candida non albicans. The main risk factors associated with mortality include: age, invasive procedures and previous use of antibiotics. Material and methods. A retrospective study of series of cases, in the Hospital Infantil de Mexico Federico Gomez, including children less than 18 years of age, with a diagnosis of systemic fungal infection and the isolation of C. albicans from sterile sites, during the period from May 1999 to December 2004. The objective was to analyze the factors associated to death. We reviewed the microbiology archives to identify the isolation of yeast from sterile sites including: blood, urine, CSF, and biopsy specimens. The information was obtained from the Hospital mycology laboratory. The individual patient record was carefully reviewed in efforts to determine possible risk factors at the time of the positive cultures as well as the antecedent 30 days. Results. We observed an increase in the rates of infection per 1 000 discharges from 1999 to 2004. We observed 45 infectious events due to Candida sp., with a mortality of 35.5%. We did not identify the species in 18 patients, C. albicans in 16 events and other non albicans in 24%. In 12 patients the underlying diagnosis was cancer; gastrointestinal malformations in 6, congenital heart disease in 12 patients, malformations of digestive tube and sepsis in 6, congenital cardiopathy and renal failure in 3, hepatic diseases in 4 and others disease entities in 10 patients. In 88.8% the infections were of nosocomial origin. The age group with the highest mortality was newborns. The main factors associated with mortality were: the antecedent of thrombocytopenia and neutropenia, as well as being intubated at the moment of the infection. Conclusions. Fungal infections and particularly those due to Candida sp., represent an important cause of morbidity and mortality. The associated risk factors are those due to an immunocompromised state, protracted use of broad spectrum antibiotics and invasive procedures including endotracheal intubation. An increase in the isolation of non- albicans species was noted.