Allergic fungal sinusitis caused by Schizophyllum commune

Allergic fungal rhinosinusitis: What we can learn from allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis

Allergic fungal rhinosinusitis (AFRS) and allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis (ABPM) are inflammatory disorders of the respiratory tract resulting from type 1 and 3 hypersensitivity reactions against fungi. The hallmark features of both diseases are eosinophil infiltration into the airway mucosa caused by localized type 2 inflammation and concomitant viscid secretions in the airways. Eosinophilic mucin-induced compression of adjacent anatomic structures leads to bone erosion and central bronchiectasis in the upper and lower respiratory tracts, respectively. Although these diseases share common features in their pathogenesis, they also exhibit notable differences. Epidemiologic findings are diverse, with AFRS typically presenting at a younger age, exhibiting less complicated bronchial asthma, and displaying lower total immunoglobulin E levels in laboratory findings compared with ABPM. Furthermore, despite their similar pathogenesis, the rarity of sinio-bronchial allergic mycosis in both AFRS and ABPM underscores the distinctions between these two diseases. This review aims to clarify the similarities and differences in the pathogenesis of AFRS and ABPM to determine what can be learned about AFRS from ABPM, where more is known.

A rare case of allergic fungal rhinosinusitis in Indonesian elderly: A case report and diagnostic procedure

Background

Allergic fungal rhinosinusitis (AFRS) is a rare case.

Case presentation

A 63-year-old-man presented right nasal congestion one year ago. There was a polyp in the right nasal cavity supported CTScan showed a solid mass with central hyperattenuating of ±8.4 × 2.4 × 4.4 cm. Total IgE value was 1,227 IU/ml, while Aspergillus specific IgE and Mucorous specific IgE using the micro-Elisa technique were negative or less than 0.35 IU/ml. The skin prick test was positive on exposure to house dust, cotton, chicken meat, and cow's milk. Mucosal polypoid and allergic mucin were found during functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS). Histopathology showed inflammatory cells of eosinophils.

Discussion

These results lead to a diagnosis of AFRS according to the Bent and Kuhn criteria. The highest incidence rate is in adolescents and young adults but it occurs in the elderly. So, some of the signs and symptoms of AFRS in adolescents and young adults do not appear.

Conclusion

AFRS can only be diagnosed during FESS when mucins are found, this case appear in the elderly to be very interesting.

•Allergic Fungal Rhinosinusitis (AFRS) is a rare case in otorhinolaryngology.

•Diagnosis of AFRS can only be obtained during functional endoscopy sinus surgery (FESS).

•Hypersensitivity type 1, polyp nasi, typical CT Scan finding, and mucin during FESS were found.

[Fungal sinus infection by Schizophyllum commune: Report of two clinical cases]

BACKGROUND

Schizophyllum commune is a basidiomycete fungus which is widely distributed in nature. Its role as responsible for disease in humans is not well known, partly due to its difficult identification. The incorporation of mass spectrometry techniques (MALDI-TOF) and molecular biology to the laboratories has allowed the description of a greater number of cases.

CASE REPORT

In this paper, we present two cases in which S. commune was identified as the causative agent of disease: in the first case an immunocompetent patient suffered from chronic rhinosinusitis, and in the second one a sphenoid sinus infection was diagnosed in an immunocompromised patient. In both cases, S. commune was isolated. Its identification was possible by means of MALDI-TOF and this was confirmed in both patients by amplification and sequencing of the ITS region.

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, S. commune should be considered a potential causative agent of fungal disease. Currently, MALDI-TOF and sequencing techniques are necessary for its identification.

Human infections due to Schizophyllumcommune: Case report and review of the literature

Schizophyllumcommune is an environmental basidiomycetous fungus, causing occasional, predominantly respiratory, infections in humans. Although S. commune is considered an emerging pathogen, some authors pointed out the possibility that the increase in the diagnosed cases may be also due to recent advances in diagnostic technologies now allowing a more prompt and precise identification at the species level. Here we describe the first Italian case of chronic non-invasive fungal rhinosinusitis due to S. commune in an immunocompetent subject and update the literature review on S. commune sinusitis published between 2012-2019. A timely diagnosis is important to avoid local and systemic complications due to infection with this fungus. In our case, prompt identification at species level was only possible with the use of MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and confirmed by sequence analysis of ribosomal DNA ITS regions, due to the difficulty in achieving a correct and rapid identification using routine morphological analysis.

First report on cutaneous infectious granuloma caused by Schizophyllum commune

Background

Schizophyllum commune, a basidiomycetous fungus, is a common invader of rotten wood. This fungus rarely causes mycotic disease in humans, especially cutaneous infection. In this paper, we describe the first case of cutaneous granuloma caused by S. commune in a Chinese woman.

Case presentation

A 25-year-old female with a two-year history of erythema, papules, nodules, and scales on her sole of left foot was presented to our outpatient center. Samples were obtained by the scraping of lesion and for light microscopy. Hyphae were observed by microscopic examination. We carried out a skin tissue biopsy, which showed multiple granulomatous nodules. Biopsy specimens were also inoculated onto media. After being cultured on SDA at 27 °C for 7 days, spreading-woolly-white colonies grew on the inoculation sites of media containing chloramphenicol only and there^,s no other colonies grew. S. commune was identified by morphology methods, biochemical tests, and PCR sequencing. Pathological findings also aided in diagnosing cutaneous fungal granuloma. Oral itraconazole was applied. After 1 month of therapy, rashes on her left foot and pain were improved.

Conclusion

We describe the first case of cutaneous granuloma caused by Schizophyllum commune, which illustrates the importance of recognizing uncommon pathogenic fungal infections.