Abstract
Kodamaea (Pichia) ohmeri is a yeast species that has not been reported to be a frequent cause of human infections. The current report describes a case of fungemia caused by K. ohmeri in a 3-year-old female patient hospitalized in the public hospital Maria Alice Fernandes, Natal, RN, Brazil. The patient had previously received antimicrobial therapy due to a peritoneal infection and nosocomial pneumonia, and had a central venous catheter implanted. Kodamaea ohmeri was isolated from blood and the tip of the catheter, 48 h after its implantation. The yeast was identified by standard microbiological methods and sequence analysis of the D1/D2 domains and the ITS 1 + 2 spacer regions of the ribosomal DNA. On CHROMagar Candida medium, the isolate showed a color change from pink to blue. The yeast was susceptible to amphotericin B, and liposomal AmB was used successfully to clear the infection.
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by FAEX-UFRN (Fundo de Apoio a Extensão da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte) and CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnológico). We thank Dr Paulo Xavier Trindade, Director from Hospital Maria Alice Fernandes, for providing information related to the patient.
Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.
This paper was first published online on iFirst on 22 May 2009.