1
|
Yassin Z, Farid A, Ahmadi S, Emamikhah M, Motamedi O, Jafari M, Goodarzi A. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-associated brain abscesses caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Aspergillus fumigatus: two case and a review of the literature. J Med Case Rep 2023; 17:520. [PMID: 38049820 PMCID: PMC10694943 DOI: 10.1186/s13256-023-04206-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Bacterial and fungal superinfections are commonly reported in patients with coronavirus disease 2019. CASE PRESENTATION We report the first case of brain and intramedullary abscesses caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and a rare case of brain abscesses caused by Aspergillus fumigatus in two post-coronavirus disease 2019 patients. The first patient-34-year-old Iranian woman-presented with weakness of the left upper limb, headaches, and lower limb paresthesia. She had a history of undiagnosed diabetes and had received corticosteroid therapy. The second patient-45-year-old Iranian man-presented with right-sided weakness and had a history of intensive care unit admission. Both patients passed away despite appropriate medical therapy. CONCLUSION The immune dysregulation induced by coronavirus disease 2019 and its' treatments can predispose patients, especially immunosuppressed ones, to bacterial and fungal infections with unusual and opportunistic pathogens in the central nervous system. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Aspergillus fumigatus should be considered as potential causes of brain infection in any coronavirus disease 2019 patient presenting with neurological symptoms and evidence of brain abscess in imaging, regardless of sinonasal involvement. These patients should get started on appropriate antimicrobial therapy as soon as possible, as any delay in diagnosis or treatment can be associated with adverse outcomes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zeynab Yassin
- Antimicrobial Resistance Research Center, Institute of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Armita Farid
- School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Bisotun Street, 6.1 Alley, No 56, Tehran, 1431644311, Iran
| | - Sayedali Ahmadi
- Department of Neurosurgery, Rasool Akram Medical Complex, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Niayesh Street, Sattarkhan Ave, Tehran, 1431644311, Iran
| | - Maziar Emamikhah
- Department of Neurosurgery, Rasool Akram Medical Complex, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Niayesh Street, Sattarkhan Ave, Tehran, 1431644311, Iran
| | - Omid Motamedi
- Department of Radiology, Rasool Akram Medical Complex, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Niayesh Street, Sattarkhan Avenue, Tehran, 1445613131, Iran
| | - Mohammadamin Jafari
- Department of Dermatology, Rasool Akram Medical Complex Clinical Research Development Center (RCRDC), School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Niayesh Street, Sattarkhan Avenue, Tehran, 1445613131, Iran
| | - Azadeh Goodarzi
- Department of Dermatology, Rasool Akram Medical Complex Clinical Research Development Center (RCRDC), School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Niayesh Street, Sattarkhan Avenue, Tehran, 1445613131, Iran.
- Skin and Stem Cell Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Clinical Challenges of Emerging and Re-Emerging Yeast Infections in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10112223. [PMID: 36363816 PMCID: PMC9695014 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10112223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2022] [Revised: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
During the geological eras, some fungi, through adaptation and/or environmental/ecological pressure, interacted directly and indirectly with humans, through occasionally harmful interaction interdependent on the individual’s immunological condition. Infections caused by yeasts are underreported, subjugated, and underdiagnosed, and treatment is restricted to a few drugs, even after the significant progress of medicine and pharmacology. In the last centuries, antagonistically, there has been an exponential increase of immunocompromised individuals due to the use of immunosuppressive drugs such as corticosteroids, increased cases of transplants, chemotherapeutics, autoimmune diseases, neoplasms, and, more recently, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This review aims to survey emerging and re-emerging yeast infections in the current clinical context. Currently, there is an immense clinical challenge for the rapid and correct diagnosis and treatment of systemic mycoses caused by yeasts due to the terrible increase in cases in the current context of COVID-19.
Collapse
|
3
|
Wongsuk T, Boonsilp S, Pumeesat P, Homkaew A, Sangsri T, Chongtrakool P. Genotyping, antifungal susceptibility testing, and biofilm formation of Trichosporon spp. isolated from urine samples in a University Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand. Acta Microbiol Immunol Hung 2022; 69:247-257. [PMID: 35976734 DOI: 10.1556/030.2022.01797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The basidiomycetes yeast Trichosporon is widespread in the natural environment, but can cause disease, mainly in immunocompromised patients. However, there have been only few studies about this infection in Thailand. In this study, we characterized 53 Trichosporon spp. isolated from urine samples from patients admitted to a single hospital in Bangkok, Thailand over a one-year period from 2019 to 2020. The strains were identified using colony morphology, microscopy, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, and nucleotide sequence analysis of intergenic spacer 1 (IGS1). Fifty-one isolates were Trichosporon asahii, and the remaining isolates were Trichosporon inkin and other Trichosporon species. Three genotypes of IGS1-1, 3, and 7 were observed among T. asahii. The sensitivity of the yeasts to the antifungal drugs amphotericin B, fluconazole, and voriconazole ranged from 0.25 to >16 μg ml-1, 0.5-8 μg ml-1, and 0.01-0.25 μg ml-1, respectively. We investigated biofilm formation by the isolates, and no biofilm production was found in one isolate, low biofilm production in forty-four isolates, and medium biofilm production in six isolates. T. inkin produced biofilms at low levels, and Trichosporon spp. produced biofilms at medium levels. This research increases our understanding of the molecular epidemiology of Trichosporon spp. isolated from one university hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, and reveals their genetic diversity, antifungal susceptibility profiles, and capacity for in vitro biofilm production.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Thanwa Wongsuk
- 1 Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine Vajira Hospital, Navamindradhiraj University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Siriphan Boonsilp
- 1 Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine Vajira Hospital, Navamindradhiraj University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Potjaman Pumeesat
- 2 Department of Medical Technology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Bansomdejchaopraya Rajabhat University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Anchalee Homkaew
- 3 Microbiological Unit, Central Laboratory and Blood Bank, Faculty of Medicine Vajira Hospital, Navamindradhiraj University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Tanes Sangsri
- 4 Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Princess of Naradhiwas University, Narathiwat, Thailand
| | - Piriyaporn Chongtrakool
- 5 Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| |
Collapse
|