tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
IDCases
. 2022;27:e01428.
doi: 10.1016/j.idcr.2022.e01428. Epub 2022 Jan 29.
Exophiala dermatitidis, 'the real black fungus' fungemia in a patient with COVID-19
Mohd Nizam Tzar[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Wan Husna Barakah Meor Jamaludin[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Asrul Abdul Wahab[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Chuan Hun Ding[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
The second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in India had brought with it a surge of 'black fungus' co-infection, which is a misnomer for mucormycosis. The present case illustrates the 'real black fungus' infection in a 50-year old male patient with COVID-19 pneumonia, who otherwise had no significant previous medical history. He was admitted on day 8 of COVID-19 illness and was intubated due to persistently low oxygen saturation. Blood cultures were positive for flask-shaped dematiaceous budding yeasts with pseudohyphae formation, which grew as brown-black fuzzy colonies on Sabouraud dextrose agar. The isolate was identified as Exophiala dermatitidis based on phenotypic characterization. Despite antifungal therapy with amphotericin B and itraconazole, the patient deteriorated rapidly and succumbed to acute respiratory distress syndrome and multiorgan failure. A review of reported cases of Exophiala dermatitidis fungemia over the last 5-years is discussed.
Keywords: Antifungal; COVID-19; Coronavirus; Dematiaceous; Malaysia; Mycosis.
. 2022;27:e01428.
doi: 10.1016/j.idcr.2022.e01428. Epub 2022 Jan 29.
Exophiala dermatitidis, 'the real black fungus' fungemia in a patient with COVID-19
Mohd Nizam Tzar[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Wan Husna Barakah Meor Jamaludin[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Asrul Abdul Wahab[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Chuan Hun Ding[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 35127454
- PMCID: PMC8800164
- DOI: 10.1016/j.idcr.2022.e01428
Abstract
The second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in India had brought with it a surge of 'black fungus' co-infection, which is a misnomer for mucormycosis. The present case illustrates the 'real black fungus' infection in a 50-year old male patient with COVID-19 pneumonia, who otherwise had no significant previous medical history. He was admitted on day 8 of COVID-19 illness and was intubated due to persistently low oxygen saturation. Blood cultures were positive for flask-shaped dematiaceous budding yeasts with pseudohyphae formation, which grew as brown-black fuzzy colonies on Sabouraud dextrose agar. The isolate was identified as Exophiala dermatitidis based on phenotypic characterization. Despite antifungal therapy with amphotericin B and itraconazole, the patient deteriorated rapidly and succumbed to acute respiratory distress syndrome and multiorgan failure. A review of reported cases of Exophiala dermatitidis fungemia over the last 5-years is discussed.
Keywords: Antifungal; COVID-19; Coronavirus; Dematiaceous; Malaysia; Mycosis.