Abstract
Fusarium species are the second leading cause of disseminated mold infections in immunocompromised patients. The high mortality caused by such infections is attributed to the high resistance of Fusarium species to current antifungal agents. We report the first case of disseminated fusariosis after the use of alemtuzumab, an anti-CD52 monoclonal antibody, in a patient who presented with striking cutaneous and oral cavity lesions. Case reports of combination antifungal therapy for disseminated fusariosis in immunocompromised patients were reviewed. Among 19 published cases in the last 10 years plus this patient, the patients in 14 cases (70%) responded positively to combination antifungal therapy. A clinical response was achieved in seven cases before resolution of neutropenia.
Acknowledgments
We thank Dr Susan Shin-Jung Lee of the Department of Medicine, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan and Dr Pei-Lun Sun of the Department of Dermatology, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, for reviewing the manuscript.
Declaration of interest: Y. C. Chen received lecture fees from Pfizer and Merck, but the other authors declared that they had no competing interests.
This paper was first published online on Early Online on 05 April 2011.