Aspergillosis in children after liver transplantation: Single center experience

Diagnosis of invasive fungal disease in children: a narrative review

Introduction: Invasive fungal diseases (IFD) represent important causes of morbidity and mortality in pediatrics. Early diagnosis and treatment of IFD is associated with better outcome and this entails the need to use fast and highly sensitive and specific methods that can support clinicians in the management of IFD.Areas covered: A narrative review was performed on conventional diagnostic methods such as culture, microscopy and histopathology are still gold standard but are burdened by a lack of sensitivity and specificity; on the other hand, imaging and noninvasive antigen-based such as beta-D-glucan, galactomannan and molecular biomarkers are the most convenient nonculture methods for diagnosis and monitoring effects of therapy. Aim of the present review is to summarize what is available in these fields at end of the second decade of the third millennium and look for future perspectives.Expert opinion: Promising and useful diagnostic methods have been applied in infectious disease diagnosis in clinical practice or in designing platforms. Unfortunately, most of them are not standardized or validated in pediatric population. However, clinicians should be aware of all innovative diagnostic tools to use in combination with conventional diagnostic methods for a better management of pathology and patient.

ESCMID-ECMM guideline: diagnosis and management of invasive aspergillosis in neonates and children

SCOPE

Presenting symptoms, distributions and patterns of diseases and vulnerability to invasive aspergillosis (IA) are similar between children and adults. However, differences exist in the epidemiology and underlying conditions, the usefulness of newer diagnostic tools, the pharmacology of antifungal agents and in the evidence from interventional phase 3 clinical trials. Therefore, the European Society for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) and the European Confederation of Medical Mycology (ECMM) have developed a paediatric-specific guideline for the diagnosis and management of IA in neonates and children.

METHODS

Review and discussion of the scientific literature and grading of the available quality of evidence was performed by the paediatric subgroup of the ESCMID-ECMM-European Respiratory Society (ERS) Aspergillus disease guideline working group, which was assigned the mandate for the development of neonatal- and paediatric-specific recommendations.

QUESTIONS

Questions addressed by the guideline included the epidemiology of IA in neonates and children; which paediatric patients may benefit from antifungal prophylaxis; how to diagnose IA in neonates and children; which antifungal agents are available for use in neonates and children; which antifungal agents are suitable for prophylaxis and treatment of IA in neonates and children; what is the role of therapeutic drug monitoring of azole antifungals; and which management strategies are suitable to be used in paediatric patients. This guideline provides recommendations for the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of IA in the paediatric population, including neonates. The aim of this guideline is to facilitate optimal management of neonates and children at risk for or diagnosed with IA.

Role of Molecular Biomarkers in the Diagnosis of Invasive Fungal Diseases in Children

Invasive fungal diseases are important clinical problems that are often complicated by severe illness and therefore the inability to use invasive measures to definitively diagnose the disease. Tests for a range of fungal biomarkers that do not require an invasive sample-collection procedure have been incorporated into adult clinical practice, but pediatric data and pediatric-specific recommendations for some of these diagnostic tools are lacking. In this review, we summarize the published literature and contemporary strategies for using the biomarkers galactomannan, (1→3)-β-d-glucan, Candida mannan antigen and anti-mannan antibody, and fungal polymerase chain reaction for diagnosing invasive fungal disease in children. Data on biomarker use in neonates and children with cancer, history of hematopoietic stem cell transplant, or primary immunodeficiency are included. Fungal biomarker tests performed on blood, other body fluids, or tissue specimens represent promising adjuncts to the diagnostic armamentarium in populations with a high prevalence of invasive fungal disease, but substantial gaps exist in the correct use and interpretation of these diagnostic tools in pediatric patients.

Invasive aspergillosis in liver transplant recipients: epidemiology, clinical characteristics, treatment, and outcomes in 116 cases

Invasive aspergillosis (IA) in liver transplant recipients is associated with grave outcomes. We reviewed 116 individual cases reported in the literature from 1985 to 2013. IA was diagnosed after a median of 25 days after transplantation and involved a single organ in 51% of the cases, whereas in the remaining cases, multiple sites were involved. The most common infecting Aspergillus species were Aspergillus fumigatus (73%), Aspergillus flavus (14%), and Aspergillus terreus (8%). Amphotericin B was the drug most frequently used, and it was followed by voriconazole and itraconazole. Combination regimens were used in 51% of the cases. The overall 1-year cumulative survival probability was 35% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 24.6%-49.6%]. Survival was significantly higher for patients reported from the year 2000 and thereafter (P < 0.001), for those diagnosed with IA more than 30 days after transplantation versus those diagnosed earlier (P = 0.019), and for patients without renal failure (P = 0.020). Additionally, the use of voriconazole was significantly associated with a higher probability of survival (P < 0.001). Cox regression analysis showed that subjects with the involvement of multiple sites had a 2.52 times higher risk of a negative outcome (95% CI = 1.08-5.87) than those with the involvement of a single site. Thus, IA causes life-threatening infections in liver transplant recipients. Predictors associated with poor outcomes may help clinicians to optimize the management of this infection.

Renal aspergillosis after liver transplantation: Clinical and imaging manifestations in two cases

Renal aspergillosis (RAsp) is a rare complication in liver transplant (LT) recipients. Here we report RAsp in two LT recipients. In both patients, RAsp occurred more than 90 d after allogenetic orthotropic LT, and all the clinical findings were unspecific. RAsp involved unilateral kidney in Case one and bilateral kidneys in Case two. Both computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed renal abscesses, with progressively enhanced walls and separations and unenhanced alveolate areas after contrast agent administration. On unenhanced CT images they showed inhomogeneous hypo-attenuation. On fat-suppressed T2-weighted images (T2WIs), the walls and separations of the abscesses showed slightly low signal intensity and the central parts of the lesions showed slightly high signal intensity. Both on CT and MRI, there were some hints of renal infarction or chronic ischemia. Both cases were treated by radical nephrectomy followed by adjuvant antifungal treatment. They all recovered well.

Invasive aspergillosis in developing countries

To review invasive aspergillosis (IA) in developing countries, we included those countries, which are mentioned in the document of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), called the Emerging and Developing Economies List, 2009. A PubMed/Medline literature search was performed for studies concerning IA reported during 1970 through March 2010 from these countries. IA is an important cause of morbidity and mortality of hospitalized patients of developing countries, though the exact frequency of the disease is not known due to inadequate reporting and facilities to diagnose. Only a handful of centers from India, China, Thailand, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Sudan, South Africa, Turkey, Hungary, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Argentina had reported case series of IA. As sub-optimum hospital care practice, hospital renovation work in the vicinity of immunocompromised patients, overuse or misuse of steroids and broad-spectrum antibiotics, use of contaminated infusion sets/fluid, and increase in intravenous drug abusers have been reported from those countries, it is expected to find a high rate of IA among patients with high risk, though hard data is missing in most situations. Besides classical risk factors for IA, liver failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, and tuberculosis are the newly recognized underlying diseases associated with IA. In Asia, Africa and Middle East sino-orbital or cerebral aspergillosis, and Aspergillus endophthalmitis are emerging diseases and Aspergillus flavus is the predominant species isolated from these infections. The high frequency of A. flavus isolation from these patients may be due to higher prevalence of the fungus in the environment. Cerebral aspergillosis cases are largely due to an extension of the lesion from invasive Aspergillus sinusitis. The majority of the centers rely on conventional techniques including direct microscopy, histopathology, and culture to diagnose IA. Galactomannan, β-D glucan test, and DNA detection in IA are available only in a few centers. Mortality of the patients with IA is very high due to delays in diagnosis and therapy. Antifungal use is largely restricted to amphotericin B deoxycholate and itraconazole, though other anti-Aspergillus antifungal agents are available in those countries. Clinicians are aware of good outcome after use of voriconazole/liposomal amphotericin B/caspofungin, but they are forced to use amphotericin B deoxycholate or itraconazole in public-sector hospitals due to economic reasons.

The changing face of epidemiology of invasive fungal disease in Europe

Invasive fungal diseases (IFDs) are an increasingly common complication in critically ill patients in Europe and are frequently fatal. Because of changes in treatment strategies and the increased use of antifungal prophylaxis, the epidemiology of IFDs has changed substantially in recent years and infections due to Candida species are no longer the majority in many institutions. In contrast, the emergence of non-Candida IFDs such as aspergillosis, zygomycosis and fusariosis has increased. European surveys indicate that Candida albicans is responsible for more than half the cases of invasive candidaemia; however, the occurrence of non-albicans-related IFDs appears to be increasing. Rates of IFD-related mortality in Europe depend on the pathogen, geographical location and underlying patient characteristics, with rates ranging from 28 to 59% for Candida infections and from 38 to 80% for invasive aspergillosis. Early initiation of antifungal therapy is critical for improving outcomes; however, this is complicated by the difficulty in diagnosing IFDs rapidly and accurately. The introduction of new extended-spectrum azole antifungal agents (e.g. voriconazole, posaconazole) and echinocandins (e.g. micafungin, caspofungin, anidulafungin) has increased the number of therapeutic options for early therapy. Choice between agents should be based on a variety of factors, including spectrum of activity, adverse events, drug interactions, route of administration, clinical efficacy of individual agents and local epidemiology.

Update on infectious diseases in pediatric solid organ transplantation

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Numerous recent advances have been made in the field of infectious diseases and pediatric solid organ transplant.

RECENT FINDINGS

Although many studies contain somewhat small cohorts of individuals, when summarized together they contribute significantly to our knowledge about pediatric solid organ transplant, especially regarding risk factors for infection, management of BK virus nephropathy, the use of live viral vaccines, and consideration for rare infections as well as donor-derived infections.

SUMMARY

In sum, these recent advances in infection in the field of pediatric solid organ transplant will help decrease infection, thus improving morbidity and mortality, as well as transplant outcomes, especially by decreasing direct (graft injury) and indirect (immune upregulation) effects on organ transplantation. This review will focus on recent advances in the field of infectious diseases in pediatric solid organ transplant by highlighting some of the most important and interesting articles in the field within the past few years.