Fungal discitis due to Aspergillus terreus in a patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
10.3346/jkms.2000.15.6.704
- Author:
Kyoung Un PARK
1
;
Hye Seung LEE
;
Chong Jai KIM
;
Eui Chong KIM
Author Information
1. Department of Clinical Pathology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Korea.
- Publication Type:Case Reports
- Keywords:
Aspergillus;
Discitis;
Aspergillosis;
Immunocompromised Host
- MeSH:
Aspergillosis/surgery;
Aspergillosis/pathology;
Aspergillosis/microbiology*;
Aspergillosis/drug therapy;
Aspergillosis/complications;
Aspergillus/isolation & purification;
Aspergillus/classification;
Journal Article;
Discitis/surgery;
Discitis/pathology;
Discitis/microbiology*;
Discitis/drug therapy;
Human;
Intervertebral Disk/surgery;
Intervertebral Disk/pathology;
Intervertebral Disk/microbiology*;
Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Acute/microbiology;
Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Acute/drug therapy;
Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Acute/complications*;
Lumbar Vertebrae/surgery;
Lumbar Vertebrae/pathology;
Lumbar Vertebrae/microbiology*
- From:Journal of Korean Medical Science
2000;15(6):704-707
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
We report a case of Aspergillus terreus discitis which developed in a patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia following induction chemotherapy. A. terreus was isolated from sputum, one month earlier, but the physician did not consider it significant at the time. Magnetic resonance imaging study showed the involvement of L3-4, L4-5 and L5-S1 intervertebral discs. Etiology was established by means of histology and culturing a surgical specimen of disc materials. Our patient survived after a surgical debridement and amphotericin B administration with a total dose of 2.0 g. Discitis caused by Aspergillus terreus is a very rare event. A. terreus is one of the invasive Aspergillus species. The pathogenetic mechanism is discussed and the literature is reviewed.
