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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, January 2000, p. 375-381, Vol. 38, No. 1
Department of Pathology and
Microbiology1 and Department of Internal
Medicine,3 University of Nebraska Medical
Center, Omaha, Nebraska; Microfungus Collection and Herbarium,
Devonian Botanic Garden, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta,
Canada2; Fungus Testing Laboratory,
Department of Pathology, University of Texas Health Science Center at
San Antonio,4 and Audie L. Murphy
Division, South Texas Veterans Health Care
System,5 San Antonio, Texas; and
Department of Surgery, Long Island Jewish Medical Center, Long
Island, New York6
Received 28 June 1999/Returned for modification 18 August
1999/Accepted 29 September 1999
We report the first case of invasive pulmonary infection caused by
the thermotolerant ascomycetous fungus Gymnascella
hyalinospora in a 43-year-old female from the rural midwestern
United States. The patient was diagnosed with acute myelogenous
leukemia and treated with induction chemotherapy. She was discharged in
stable condition with an absolute neutrophil count of 100 cells per
µl. Four days after discharge, she presented to the Cancer Clinic with fever and pancytopenia. A solitary pulmonary nodule was found in
the right middle lobe which was resected by video-assisted thoracoscopy
(VATHS). Histopathological examination revealed septate branching
hyphae, suggesting a diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis; however,
occasional yeast-like cells were also present. The culture grew a mold
that appeared dull white with a slight brownish tint that failed to
sporulate on standard media. The mold was found to be positive by the
AccuProbe Blastomyces dermatitidis Culture ID Test
(Gen-Probe Inc., San Diego, Calif.), but this result appeared to be
incompatible with the morphology of the structures in tissue. The
patient was removed from consideration for stem cell transplant and was
treated for 6 weeks with amphotericin B (AmB), followed by itraconazole
(Itr). A VATHS with biopsy performed 6 months later showed no evidence
of mold infection. In vitro, the isolate appeared to be susceptible to
AmB and resistant to fluconazole and 5-fluorocytosine. Results for Itr
could not be obtained for the case isolate due to its failure to grow
in polyethylene glycol used to solubilize the drug; however, MICs for a
second isolate appeared to be elevated. The case isolate was
subsequently identified as G. hyalinospora based on its
formation of oblate, smooth-walled ascospores within yellow or
yellow-green tufts of aerial hyphae on sporulation media. Repeat
testing with the Blastomyces probe demonstrated
false-positive results with the case isolate and a reference isolate of
G. hyalinospora. This case demonstrates that both
histopathologic and cultural features should be considered for the
proper interpretation of this molecular test and extends the list of
fungi recognized as a cause of human mycosis in immunocompromised patients.
0095-1137/0/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Pulmonary Infection Caused by Gymnascella
hyalinospora in a Patient with Acute Myelogenous
Leukemia
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of
Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center,
986495 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-6495. Phone: (402)
559-7774. Fax: (402) 559-4077. E-mail: piwen{at}unmc.edu.
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