Systemic phaeohyphomycosis in a dog caused by Cladophialophora bantiana

Background: Cladophialophora bantiana is a dematiaceous fungus that causes phaeohyphomycosis, a generic term used to describe a variety of unusual mycoses caused by fungi that have melanin in their cell wall. C. bantiana targets the central nervous system, commonly causing localized brain infections that may result in disseminated infections. In Brazil, minimal phaeohyphomycosis data are available, and information about C. bantiana infections in animals, especially canines, is scarce. Thus, the aim of this study was to describe the clinical and pathological aspects of systemic phaeohyphomycosis caused by C. bantiana in a dog. Case: A 1-year-old female Pit Bull presented with weight loss, reduced appetite, and a history of cutaneous lesions on the right thoracic limb; however, clinical evolution was not reported. The bitch had reportedly given birth recently. Physical examination revealed thinness, pale ocular and oral mucosa, submandibular lymph nodes, and enlarged popliteal lymph nodes. The bitch died after convulsive crises during hospitalization. At necropsy, white-yellowish multifocal nodules were observed in the liver and right kidney. The brain featured left cerebral hemisphere asymmetry with blood vessel congestion in the leptomeninges and an irregular brownish focal area on the surface of the right occipital cortex. Cross-sections of the formalin-fi xed brain exhibited compression of the left lateral ventricle and the presence of grayish and friable multifocal areas in the gray matter of the left parietal and right occipital cortices. Fragments of the lesions were collected for histopathological and microbiological examination. Histologically, the lesions were similar, characterized by hepatitis, nephritis, and granulomatous and necrotizing...

Oral phaeohyphomycosis in a patient with squamocellular carcinoma of the lip: second case report

Abstract This communication reports the second known case of oral phaeohyphomycosis in a patient with squamocellular carcinoma of the lip. The patient, an 82-year-old black woman, a former smoker (for more than 30 years), suffering from an ulcerous vegetative lesion in the middle third of the lower lip for approximately 12 months. The result of the histopathological analysis indicated carcinoma, with well-differentiated keratinized squamous cells and the presence of septate mycelial filaments. In the direct mycological examination, thick and dematiaceous septate mycelial filaments were observed. After the resection surgery, the patient did not need to use an antifungal drug to treat the phaeohyphomycosis, and no follow-up radiotherapy was needed to treat the squamocellular carcinoma. We stress that the presence of the squamocellular lesion of the lip was a possible contributing factor to the infection.

Cutaneous phaeohyphomycosis.

BACKGROUND: Phaeohyphomycosis is an infrequent infection in human beings. However, in recent years, its prevalence has augmented in immunosuppressed patients (mostly in solid organ transplanted patients). Infection can be mucocutaneous or disseminated. In the former, the fungus inoculation occurs mainly through traumatism. Lesions may be polymorphic and asymptomatic, isolated or multiple, and are usually localized in exposed areas of the limbs and head. Treatment is not standardized. When possible, surgical resection of the lesion is combined with systemic antifungals. METHODS: We communicate three phaeohyphomycosis cases with cutaneous compromise. RESULTS: The cases we present show diverse clinical characteristics and varied severity and evolution. CONCLUSION: It is important for dermatologists to recognize this cutaneous fungus infection because the diagnosis using microscopic examination and mycological culture depends on the clinical suspicion.

Oral phaeohyphomycosis in a patient with squamocellular carcinoma of the lip: second case report.

This communication reports the second known case of oral phaeohyphomycosis in a patient with squamocellular carcinoma of the lip. The patient, an 82-year-old black woman, a former smoker (for more than 30 years), suffering from an ulcerous vegetative lesion in the middle third of the lower lip for approximately 12 months. The result of the histopathological analysis indicated carcinoma, with well-differentiated keratinized squamous cells and the presence of septate mycelial filaments. In the direct mycological examination, thick and dematiaceous septate mycelial filaments were observed. After the resection surgery, the patient did not need to use an antifungal drug to treat the phaeohyphomycosis, and no follow-up radiotherapy was needed to treat the squamocellular carcinoma. We stress that the presence of the squamocellular lesion of the lip was a possible contributing factor to the infection.

Phaeohyphomycosis in renal transplantation: report of two cases.

Phaeohyphomycosis is an infection caused by a filamentous fungus that contains pigment melanin in its cell wall. We report two cases caused by Exophiala sp. emphasizing the clinical variability of the disease, as well as diagnostic and therapeutic difficulties of this opportunistic infection in immunosuppressed patients (kidney transplant).

Phaeohyphomycosis in renal transplantation: report of two cases

Abstract Phaeohyphomycosis is an infection caused by a filamentous fungus that contains pigment melanin in its cell wall. We report two cases caused by Exophiala sp. emphasizing the clinical variability of the disease, as well as diagnostic and therapeutic difficulties of this opportunistic infection in immunosuppressed patients (kidney transplant).

Phaeohyphomycosis Caused by a Novel Species, Pseudochaetosphaeronema martinelli.

Among the opportunistic mycoses that are emerging in patients with immunosuppression or severe underlying illness, many isolates lack of characteristic sporulation and until recently could not be identified. Clinical signs are mostly nonspecific and therefore such infections have often been disregarded. In the present paper we describe a novel, nonsporulating fungal species causing subcutaneous phaeohyphomycosis in two patients of different origin. One is a 73-year-old female from Martinique who suffered from rheumatoid arthritis, while the other case concerns a 72-year-old male from Mexico who had a history of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Sequencing of the partial ribosomal operon revealed that in both cases a member of the order Pleosporales was concerned which could not be affiliated to any family within this order. Multilocus analysis revealed that the fungus was related to another, unaffiliated agent of human mycetoma, Pseudochaetosphaeronema larense, and therefore the name Pseudochaetosphaeronema martinelli was introduced.

Phaeohyphomycosis of the ungual apparatus - case report.

Phaeohyphomycosis is a disease caused by dematiaceous fungi with a worldwide geographic distribution and broad spectrum. It is most commonly found in adult individuals of both genders and all races. We report the case of a 57-year-old woman with phaeohyphomycosis in the ungual apparatus.

Phaeohyphomycosis of the ungual apparatus - Case report

Phaeohyphomycosis is a disease caused by dematiaceous fungi with a worldwide geographic distribution and broad spectrum. It is most commonly found in adult individuals of both genders and all races. We report the case of a 57-year-old woman with phaeohyphomycosis in the ungual apparatus.

Phaeohyphomycoses in a free-ranging loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) from Southern Brazil.

This report describes the occurrence of mycotic infection in a loggerhead turtle, Caretta caretta, found on Mostardas beach in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Southern Brazil. The specimen was observed alive, emaciated, and died the following day. A necropsy was performed soon after death and tissue samples routinely processed for histopathological and molecular evaluation. Significant pathological alterations included multifocal to coalescing, 0.5-4 cm in diameter nodules were observed throughout the peritoneum and kidneys that revealed caseous, grayish content when sectioned; histopathological evaluation revealed severe peritonitis and nephritis associated with intralesional fungi. Fungal PCR that targeted the internal transcribed spacer region of fungi revealed three different species of fungi: Cladosporium cladosporioides and Alternata arborescens within the kidneys while Ampelomyces sp. was identified within peritoneal granulomas. C. cladosporioides and A. arborescens are melanized fungi that produce phaeohyphomycosis in a wide range of species. However, the importance of the identification of the mycoparasite Ampelomyces sp. DNA within the peritoneal granulomas remains unclear.

Case for diagnosis. Subcutaneous phaeohyphomycosis.

Subcutaneous phaeohyphomycosis is an infection caused by dematiaceous fungi which mainly affects immunosuppressed patients. We report a case of subcutaneous phaeohyphomycosis on the back of the left hand in a kidney transplant patient who had been taking prednisone, tacrolimus, and azathioprine daily for 3 years.

Case for diagnosis

Subcutaneous phaeohyphomycosis is an infection caused by dematiaceous fungi which mainly affects immunosuppressed patients. We report a case of subcutaneous phaeohyphomycosis on the back of the left hand in a kidney transplant patient who had been taking prednisone, tacrolimus, and azathioprine daily for 3 years.

Severe disseminated phaeohyphomycosis in an immunocompetent patient caused by Veronaea botryosa.

We present a severe case of disseminated phaeohyphomycosis due to Veronaea botryosa. A 32-year-old female, native from Cuautla, Morelos, Mexico, presented a chronic dermatosis which started 10 years earlier with multiple exophytic, multilobulated, soft, and pedunculated or sessile neoformations of diverse sizes from 2 to 10 cm in diameter, which became verrucose and increased in size. The patient was immunocompetent, and no hereditary or familiar precedents of importance were known. No treatment was given, and the dermatosis remained relatively stable until the patient became pregnant in 2001 and 2003. The infection then exacerbated and worsened, leading to dissemination to the extremities, trunk, and face. The initial diagnosis was chromoblastomycosis which was treated with terbinafine and itraconazole but without visible improvement. Histopathology revealed pigmented, irregular, unbranched, and septate hyphae. Veronaea botryosa was isolated (CBS 127264 = JX566723), and its identity was confirmed by sequencing the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA. Therapy with posaconazole (800 mg/day) was started showing a gradual improvement of lesions with a reduction in size and flattening of the eruptions.

Phaeohyphomycosis: a clinical-epidemiological and diagnostic study of eighteen cases in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

The goal of this study was to review 18 cases of phaeohyphomycosis in Rio Grande do Sul. The records of all of the patients with a diagnosis of phaeohyphomycosis between 1995-2010 were reviewed. Twelve of the 18 patients (66.6%) were male. The average age of the patients was 50 years old (range: 16-74 years). Eleven patients (61%) presented with subcutaneous lesions. Seven patients (38.8%) had received a solid organ transplant. In all of the cases, the presence of melanin in the fungal cells was determined by Fontana-Masson staining of tissue sections and documented. Among the 18 patients, a total of 11 different fungal species were isolated. The causative organisms included Exophiala jeanselmei, Alternaria, Curvularia, Cladophialophora and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. To our knowledge, this review reports the first case of subcutaneous phaeohyphomycosis caused by C. gloeosporioides in a lung transplant patient. The number of reported cases of phaeohyphomycosis has increased in the last decade. In a number of cases, this increased incidence may be primarily attributed to iatrogenic immunodeficiency.

Phaeohyphomycosis: a clinical-epidemiological and diagnostic study of eighteen cases in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

The goal of this study was to review 18 cases of phaeohyphomycosis in Rio Grande do Sul. The records of all of the patients with a diagnosis of phaeohyphomycosis between 1995-2010 were reviewed. Twelve of the 18 patients (66.6%) were male. The average age of the patients was 50 years old (range: 16-74 years). Eleven patients (61%) presented with subcutaneous lesions. Seven patients (38.8%) had received a solid organ transplant. In all of the cases, the presence of melanin in the fungal cells was determined by Fontana-Masson staining of tissue sections and documented. Among the 18 patients, a total of 11 different fungal species were isolated. The causative organisms included Exophiala jeanselmei, Alternaria, Curvularia, Cladophialophora and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. To our knowledge, this review reports the first case of subcutaneous phaeohyphomycosis caused by C. gloeosporioides in a lung transplant patient. The number of reported cases of phaeohyphomycosis has increased in the last decade. In a number of cases, this increased incidence may be primarily attributed to iatrogenic immunodeficiency.

Phaeohyphomycosis and onychomycosis due to Chaetomium spp., including the first report of Chaetomium brasiliense infection.

Chaetomium species have been rarely described as aetiological agents of invasive and dermatomycotic infections in humans. The majority of cases have been reported within the last two decades. Treatment failed in most of these cases. In this paper we present two cases in which Chaetomium spp. can be clearly identified as an aetiological agent in pathological conditions. In the first report, we describe a new aetiological agent, Chaetomium brasiliense, which was implicated in a case of otitis externa in a patient with spinocellular carcinoma basis cranii. The patient had been repeatedly treated for relapsing otitis externa and had previously undergone surgery several times for otitis media. The fungal aetiology was confirmed by repeated positive culture and histologic studies. The second case involved onychomycosis with strikingly brown nail discoloration due to Chaetomium globosum in an otherwise healthy patient. The nail lesion was successfully cured by oral terbinafine. The determination of both species was supported by sequencing of rDNA regions. The morphological aspect of Chaetomium spp. identification is also discussed. In vitro antifungal susceptibility tests demonstrated that both isolates were susceptible to terbinafine and azole derivates except fluconazole. Amphotericin B was effective only against the C. brasiliense strain. We review the literature to summarize clinical presentations, histologic findings, and treatment strategies.