Case Report: Cerebral Phaeohyphomycosis Due to Chaetomium strumarium in a Child with Visceral Heterotaxy Syndrome

Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2021 Nov 22;106(2):574-577. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.21-0277.

Abstract

Chaetomium sp. is a mold, member of the phylum Ascomycota. Clinical disease in humans is rare, particularly in children, for which only five cases have been reported. We report a 7-months-old female patient with a diagnosis of visceral heterotaxy syndrome who was admitted to a private center in Mexico. After two episodes of focal myoclonic seizure, a brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a right porencephalic cyst and a right frontal abscess with ventriculitis. Seventy-two hours after temporal abscesses drainage procedure, the culture showed a rapidly growing pale white fungal colony. Sequencing of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and D1/D2 led to the identification of Chaetomium strumarium. Although Chaetomium sp. is a rare fungal infection in humans, clinicians should consider it as a plausible etiologic agent that can form brain abscess.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Antifungal Agents / therapeutic use
  • Brain / diagnostic imaging
  • Cerebral Phaeohyphomycosis / diagnostic imaging*
  • Chaetomium / genetics
  • Chaetomium / pathogenicity*
  • Female
  • Heterotaxy Syndrome / complications*
  • Heterotaxy Syndrome / microbiology
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Mexico
  • Mycoses / diagnostic imaging*
  • Mycoses / drug therapy

Substances

  • Antifungal Agents

Supplementary concepts

  • Chaetomium strumarium