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Successful Posaconazole Therapy of Disseminated Alternariosis due to Alternaria infectoria in a Heart Transplant Recipient

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Abstract

We report a case of phaeohyphomycosis caused by Alternaria infectoria in a 61-year-old heart transplant recipient with multiple skin lesions and pulmonary infiltrates. The infection spread via the haematogenous route from the primary cutaneous lesions into the lungs. The diagnosis was based on the histopathological examination, direct microscopy, skin lesion cultures and detection of Alternaria DNA in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid using molecular methods. The treatment consisted of a combination of surgical excision and systemic antifungal therapy. Voriconazole was the first agent used but had a weak effect. Posaconazole was subsequently used to achieve a successful response. The isolate was identified as A. infectoria by sequencing of the rDNA ITS region and the partial β-tubulin gene.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic (SVV project), and by the project “BIOCEV—Biotechnology and Biomedicine Centre of the Academy of Sciences and Charles University” (CZ.1.05/1.1.00/02.0109) from the European Regional Development Fund. Additional support was obtained from a research grant from the Ministry of Health, Czech Republic [MZ 15-27682A] and from the project of the Ministry of Health, Czech Republic, for development of research organization 00023001 (IKEM, Prague, Czech Republic). This work was also supported by grant no. IGA_LF_2016_022 and RVO: 61989592 (Palacky University Olomouc, Czech Republic). All rights reserved.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Medical Mycology, Department of Parasitology, Mycology and Mycobacteriology Prague, Public Health Institute in Usti nad Labem, Sokolovska 60, 186 00, Prague 8, Czech Republic

    Pavlina Lyskova

  2. Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacky University, Olomouc, Hnevotinska 3, 775 15, Olomouc, Czech Republic

    Pavlina Lyskova & Petr Hamal

  3. Department of Cardiology, Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Videnska 1958, 140 21, Prague 4, Czech Republic

    Milos Kubanek

  4. Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Benatska 2, 128 01, Prague 2, Czech Republic

    Vit Hubka & Miroslav Kolarik

  5. Laboratory of Fungal Metabolism, Institute of Microbiology of the AS CR, Videnska 1083, 142 20, Prague 4, Czech Republic

    Vit Hubka & Miroslav Kolarik

  6. Department of Pathology, Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Videnska 1958, 140 21, Prague 4, Czech Republic

    Eva Sticova & Ludek Voska

  7. Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Videnska 1958, 140 21, Prague 4, Czech Republic

    Dana Kautznerova

  8. Department of Respiratory Medicine, Thomayer Hospital, 1st Medical School and Charles University, Prague Videnska 800, 140 59, Prague 4, Czech Republic

    Martina Vasakova

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  1. Pavlina Lyskova
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Correspondence to Pavlina Lyskova.

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Lyskova, P., Kubanek, M., Hubka, V. et al. Successful Posaconazole Therapy of Disseminated Alternariosis due to Alternaria infectoria in a Heart Transplant Recipient. Mycopathologia 182, 297–303 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11046-016-0094-4

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