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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, January 2000, p. 375-381, Vol. 38, No. 1
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

Peter C. Iwen,1,* Lynne Sigler,2 Stefano Tarantolo,3 Deanna A. Sutton,4 Michael G. Rinaldi,4,5 Rudy P. Lackner,6 Dora I. McCarthy,4 and Steven H. Hinrichs1

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.


* 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.


Journal of Clinical Microbiology, January 2000, p. 375-381, Vol. 38, No. 1
0095-1137/0/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.



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