Consensus on diagnosis and treatment of invasive fungal infection in patients with severe liver disease / 中华肝脏病杂志

The prognosis of severe liver disease combined with invasive fungal infection (IFI) is poor, and the clinical manifestations are often atypical. Moreover, most of the antifungal drugs are metabolized in the liver, with severe toxicities and side effects, making clinical diagnosis and treatment difficult. The Professional Committee for Hepatology, the Chinese Research Hospital Association and the Hepatology Branch of China Medical Association organized relevant experts to formulate an expert consensus based on the characteristics of patients with severe liver disease combined with IFI, in order to provide reference for medical personnel in making decisions on the diagnosis and treatment.

A consensus document for the clinical management of invasive fungal diseases in pediatric patients with hematologic cancer and/or undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in Brazilian medical centers

ABSTRACT In the present paper we summarize the suggestions of a multidisciplinary group including experts in pediatric oncology and infectious diseases who reviewed the medical literature to elaborate a consensus document (CD) for the diagnosis and clinical management of invasive fungal diseases (IFDs) in children with hematologic cancer and those who underwent hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation. All major multicenter studies designed to characterize the epidemiology of IFDs in children with cancer, as well as all randomized clinical trials addressing empirical and targeted antifungal therapy were reviewed. In the absence of randomized clinical trials, the best evidence available to support the recommendations were selected. Algorithms for early diagnosis and best clinical management of IFDs are also presented. This document summarizes practical recommendations that will certainly help pediatricians to best treat their patients suffering of invasive fungal diseases.

Sinusitis aguda invasiva por Exserohilum rostratum en una paciente pediátrica con recaída medular de leucemia linfoblástica aguda / Invasive acute sinusitis by Exserohilum rostratum in a patient with medullary relapse of acute lymphoblastic leukemia

La infección fúngica invasora ha aumentado en frecuencia a lo largo de la última década, y la sinusitis fúngica es cada vez más habitual. Los hongos del género Exserohilum (familia Pleosporaceae, orden Pleosporales) son filamentosos y dematiáceos, de localización ubicua. Se trata de patógenos emergentes, que producen, en la mayoría de los casos, infecciones sistémicas que afectan, principalmente, a los senos paranasales y los pulmones. Son más frecuentes en pacientes inmunosuprimidos, aunque pueden presentarse en pacientes inmunocompetentes. El tratamiento de estas infecciones comprende el tratamiento antifúngico, resección quirúrgica y restitución de la inmunidad. Se presenta el caso de una paciente con recaída medular de leucemia linfoblástica aguda con sinusitis fúngica invasiva por Exserohilum rostratum.

Invasive fungal infection has increased in frequency over the last decade, with fungal sinusitis becoming more frequent. The fungi of the genus Exserohilum (family Pleosporaceae, order Pleosporales) are filamentous and dematiaceous of ubiquitous location. It is an emerging pathogen, which in most cases produces a systemic infection that mainly affects the paranasal sinuses and lungs. It is more common in immunosuppressed patients, although it may occur in immunocompetent patients. The treatment is based on three pillars: antifungal treatment, surgical debridement and restitution of immunity. We present the case of a patient with medullary relapse of acute lymphoblastic leukemia with invasive fungal sinusitis by Exserohilum rostratum.

Manejo infectológico de la aplasia medular severa en pacientes pediátricos / Prevention and management of infections in children with severe aplastic anemia

La aplasia medular es una enfermedad poco frecuente en pediatría, siendo el tratamiento de elección en las formas severas el trasplante de células progenitoras hematopoyéticas (TCPH). Gracias a los avances en TCPH, los nuevos tratamientos inmunosupresores y al adecuado tratamiento de sostén, se ha logrado en las últimas décadas una franca disminución de la mortalidad asociada a esta patología. Es por ello que uno de los principales desafíos consiste en prevenir la aparición de infecciones asociadas a la neutropenia severa y prolongada que padecen estos pacientes, siendo actualmente las infecciones bacterianas y fúngicas una de las principales causas de morbimortalidad. Por otra parte, la mayoría de las guías de manejo y tratamiento de sostén se basan en recomendaciones de expertos, siendo la evidencia escasa, más aún en pediatría. Gran parte de las recomendaciones de tratamiento empírico se basan en guías de neutropenia febril de pacientes hemato-oncológicos. A su vez, existe gran variabilidad, de acuerdo al centro de atención, en cuanto al uso de antimicrobianos para profilaxis primaria, debiéndose tener en cuenta la mayor propensión a presentar infecciones invasivas por hongos filamentosos y, en el caso de pacientes con linfopenia marcada, de enfermedad por P jirovecii a la hora de valorar la indicación de profilaxis de estos pacientes.Se detallarán a continuación las principales recomendaciones sobre manejo de prevención de infecciones y tratamiento precoz de pacientes pediátricos con aplasia medular severa.

Aplastic anemia (AA) is a rare condition in children. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is the treatment of choice for severe idiopatic AA. Survival in severe AA has markedly improved in the past decades due to advances in HSCT, immunosuppressive and biologic drugs, as well as supportive care. Since bacterial and fungal infections are one of the principal causes of morbidity and mortality in AA, one of the main challenges is to prevent the appearance of infections associated with severe and prolonged neutropenia. Most guidelines of treatment and prophylaxis are based on expert recommendations. Given the lack of controlled studies in children with AA, most recommendations of empiric treatment rely on guidelines for febrile-neutropenia management in hemato-oncologycal patients. A great variability exists in the use of antimicrobials for primary prophylaxis among different institutions. Due to the fact that patients with severe and prolonged AA present high incidence of filamentous fungal infections, an adecuate antifungal prophylaxis is recommended. In the case of severe lymphopenia, prophylaxis against P jirovecii should also be considered. Recommendations in prophylaxis and early treatment of infections in severe pediatric AA are detailed

Criptococosis diseminada en paciente HIV con CD4 mayor a 500 / Disseminated cryptococcosis among an HIV-Infected person with CD4 Higher than 500 cel/µ

La criptococosis es la micosis sistémica más frecuente entre los pacientes con HIV SIDA. Su prevalencia oscila entre el 5% y el 25%, de acuerdo con la región geográfica que se considere. La localización habitual de esta micosis en el paciente VIH es el sistema nervioso central (SNC). La diseminación sanguínea del agente causal ocurre ante defectos de la inmunidad mediada por células, asociándose con frecuencia a linfomas, leucemia, enfermedades del sistema retículo endotelial. A partir de la eclosión del HIV se redujo un aumento significativo del número de casos, transformándose esta última condición en la causa favorecedora más importante.

Cryptococcosis is the most frequent systemic mycosis among patients with HIV AIDS. Its prevalence ranges between 5% and 25%, according to the geographical region considered. The usual location of this mycosis in the HIV patient is the central nervous system (CNS). Blood dissemination of the causative agent occurs due to defects of cell-mediated immunity, frequently associated with lymphomas, leukemia, reticuloendothelial system diseases. From the emergence of HIV, there was a significant increase in the number of cases, with the latter condition becoming the most important favorable cause