Portal Dissemination of <i>Fusarium graminearum</i> in a Patient with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and Febrile Neutropenia

• Main Authors: Mary Gabriela Uscamayta, Alexandra Martin-Onraet, Karla Espinosa-Bautista, Roberto Herrera-Goepfert, Rigoberto Hernández-Castro, Carolina Perez-Jimenez
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-01-01
• Series: Infectious Disease Reports
• Subjects: <i>Fusarium graminearum</i>; portal dissemination; invasive fungal infection; rRNA sequence gene; febrile neutropenia
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2036-7449/13/1/2

We present the case of a man with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and prolonged profound neutropenia, who developed an invasive infection by <i>Fusarium graminearum</i>, acquired via non-cutaneous entry, with gastrointestinal symptoms, sigmoid perforation and liver abscesses due to portal dissemination. The etiologic agent was identified using the 18S-ITS1-5.8S-ITS2-28S rRNA sequence gene, from a liver biopsy. The infection was resolved with surgical drainage and antifungal treatment based on voriconazole. As far as we know, there are no previous reports in the literature of cases of human infection due to <i>Fusarium graminearum</i>.