Fonsecaea pugnacius, a Novel Agent of Disseminated Chromoblastomycosis.

Authors :: de Azevedo CM
Gomes RR
Vicente VA
Santos DW
Marques SG
do Nascimento MM
Andrade CE
Silva RR
Queiroz-Telles F
de Hoog GS
Source :: Journal of clinical microbiology [J Clin Microbiol] 2015 Aug; Vol. 53 (8), pp. 2674-85. Date of Electronic Publication: 2015 Jun 17.
Publication Year :: 2015
Abstract: We report a fatal case of a chromoblastomycosis-like infection caused by a novel species of Fonsecaea in a 52-year-old immunocompetent Caucasian male from an area of chromoblastomycosis endemicity in Brazil. The patient had a 30-year history of slowly evolving, verrucous lesions on the right upper arm which gradually affected the entire arm, the left hemifacial area, and the nose. Subsequent dissemination to the brain was observed, which led to death of the patient. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and partial large subunit (LSU), BT2, and CDC42 genes of the isolates recovered from skin and brain were sequenced, confirming the novelty of the species. The species is clinically unique in causing brain abscesses secondary to chromoblastomycosis lesions despite the apparent intact immunity of the patient. Histopathologic appearances were very different, showing muriform cells in skin and hyphae in brain.<br /> (Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.)