Pamidimukkala U, Kancharla A, Sudhaharan S, Gundeti S, Mandarapu S, Nagalla VK, Raju SB, Karanam SD. Isolation of the Rare Opportunistic Yeast
Saprochaete capitata from Clinical Samples-Experience from a Tertiary Care Hospital in Southern India and a Brief Review of the Literature.
J Clin Diagn Res 2017;
11:DC36-DC42. [PMID:
29207709 DOI:
10.7860/jcdr/2017/30339.10669]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2017] [Accepted: 08/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Introduction
Saprochaete capitata (Teleomorph: Magnusiomyces capitatus) is a ubiquitous yeast found in environmental sources such as soil, water, air, plants and dairy products. It is also a part of the normal microbial flora in humans. The yeast is being increasingly reported as an opportunistic pathogen, especially in patients in the haemato-oncology setting, the infection being often mistakenly diagnosed as invasive candidiasis.
Aim
To review the epidemiological, clinical and microbiological features of six patients admitted in our hospital over a period of 10 years (from January 2007 to December 2016), from whom Saprochaete capitata was isolated.
Materials and Methods
A retrospective study was conducted and the epidemiological, clinical, imaging and microbiological data of the six patients were collected and analysed.
Results
The age of the six patients ranged from 19 years to 65 years with a median age of 53 years. There were two males and four females. In three out of the six patients, the isolation of S. capitata was considered clinically significant as the yeast was isolated repeatedly from blood and/or respiratory specimens and the clinical features could not be explained by any other alternative diagnosis. Haematological malignancy was the underlying disease in three out of the six patients while one patient was on triple immunosuppression following renal transplantation four years back. Three out of the six patients had severe neutropenia with Absolute Neutrophil Count (ANC) ≤ 500 at the time of isolation of S. capitata. Two patients with clinical features of fungal sepsis received antifungal therapy with Amphotericin B but succumbed within a short period of starting the therapy. The post renal transplant patient who presented with pneumonia recovered after treatment with a combination of Amphotericin B and Voriconazole.
Conclusion
Awareness regarding the epidemiological, clinical and microbiological aspects of invasive infections caused by S. capitata is essential for early recognition and appropriate management.
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