Central nervous system infections in transplant recipients by Cladophialophora bantiana.

Abstract

Cladophialophora bantiana, a dematiaceous fungus, is an uncommon pathogenic organism originally thought to more commonly affect immunocompetent patients. Increasing numbers of reports, however, describe the organism affecting immunocompromised patients. Like all dematiaceous fungi, Cladophialophora can be recognized in histopathologic sections by the golden-brown coloration in the walls of the hyphae. Of all the dematiaceous fungi, Cladophialophora bantiana demonstrates the most neurotropism, which is responsible for increasing recognition of this fungus as the causative agent in brain abscesses in transplant patients. We describe one patient with a liver transplant and another with a double lung transplant, both of whom developed cerebral abscesses caused by this organism, and review the reported literature.

• Authors: D Keith Harrison, Stephen Moser, Cheryl Ann Palmer
• Journal: Southern medical journal (South Med J) Vol. 101 Issue 3 Pg. 292-6 (Mar 2008) ISSN: 1541-8243 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 18364660 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article, Review)

Topics

• Adult
• Ascomycota (cytology, pathogenicity)
• Brain Abscess (diagnostic imaging, microbiology, pathology)
• Central Nervous System Fungal Infections (drug therapy, microbiology)
• Female
• Humans
• Immunocompromised Host
• Radiography
• Transplantation Conditioning (adverse effects)
• Transplants (adverse effects, microbiology)