Aspergilosis diseminada con importante afectación cutánea / Disseminated aspergillosis with significant skin involvement

La Aspergilosis es una infección micótica oportunista que afecta principalmente a pacientes inmunodeprimidos con neutropenia, en quienes produce a menudo enfermedad invasiva de curso fulminante. Las manifestaciones cutáneas de la Aspergilosis son infrecuentes, apareciendo en el 5 a 10% de los casos diseminados. Comunicamos un caso de Aspergilosis en una mujer adulta con neutropenia severa por enfermedad hematológica, con afectación pulmonar y sinusal, que presenta múltiples lesiones ulceronecróticas en piel y mucosas, con evolución fatal. Las lesiones mucocutáneas de la Aspergilosis no son específicas, obligan a varios diagnósticos diferenciales y, como en este caso, la biopsia para estudio histopatológico y micológico es necesaria para el diagnóstico.

Aspergillosis is an opportunistic fungal infection that primarily affects immunocompromised patients with neutropenia, in whom invasive disease often results in fulminant course. Cutaneous manifestations of aspergillosis are rare, occurring in 5-10% of cases scattered. We report a case of aspergillosis in an adult woman with severe neutropenia for hematologic disease, lung and sinus disease, having multiple ulceronecróticas skin lesions and mucous membranes, with fatal outcome. The mucocutaneous lesions of aspergillosis are nonspecific, forcing several differential diagnoses, and as in this case, the biopsy for histopathological and mycological study is required for diagnosis.

Aspergilosis diseminada: hallazgos postmortem en un caso de sepsis materna. ¿Es el embarazo un estado de inmunosupresión? / Disseminated aspergillosis: postmortem findings in a case of maternal sepsis

Se comunica un caso de muerte materno-fetal con diagnóstico de aspergilosis diseminada concluido a través del estudio de autopsia. Caso: Mujer de 20 años de edad con antecedente de preeclampsia quien en su segundo embarazo inició con dolor obstétrico asociado a fiebre y ataque al estado general. El trabajo de parto concluyó con la expulsión de un feto óbito macerado y placenta fétida, hipotonía uterina e inestabilidad hemodinámica. Fue referida a segundo nivel, cursaba con fiebre persistente, foco séptico pélvico, trastornos de la ventilación, evidencia de lesiones encefálicas por tomografía, sangrado de tubo digestivo, oliguria, datos de respuesta inflamatoria sistémica y necrosis bilateral de miembros inferiores. Falleció a los 10 días de haber sido internada. Resultados: En el examen necrológico, la División de Anatomía Patológica halló pulmones con áreas extensas de consolidación y hemorragia, corazón con vegetaciones valvulares y murales, así como cerebro con múltiples lesiones similares a infarto. La microscopía de luz reveló la presencia de hifas septadas ramificadas en ángulos de 45° que transgredían el lumen de arterias en pulmón, asentadas sobre la superficie endocárdica e invadían el miocardio, el espacio subaracnoideo y neurópilo. Dichas hifas también se identificaron en los cortes histológicos de tiroides, tráquea, estómago y riñón. Conclusión: La aspergilosis diseminada es una entidad de elevada letalidad que usualmente afecta a pacientes inmunocomprometidos, específicamente a quienes cursan con neutropenia. Si bien durante el embarazo el sistema inmune experimenta determinadas adaptaciones fisiológicas, éstas no predisponen per se al desarrollo de infecciones oportunistas.

We describe autopsy findings in a case of maternal death caused by invasive aspergillosis in its disseminated form. Case: 20 year old female with previous medical history of preeclampsia who started with malaise, pelvic pain and fever during her second pregnancy. A fetal obitus was obtained after labor although she remained with uterine hypotony and hemodynamic unsteadiness. She was referred to a general hospital subsisting with fever, acute pelvic sepsis, deteriorated ventilatory function, cerebral lesions visualized by tomography, gastrointestinal bleeding, oliguria and systemic inflammatory response with bilateral acral lower extremities necrosis. She died ten days after her arrival and autopsy was authorized. Results: Necropsy uncovered lungs with consolidated areas and extensive haemorrhage, valvular and mural heart vegetations and numerous cerebral lesions with infarct-like appeareance. Light microscopy revealed the presence of septate hyphae with regular acute angle branching invading lung microvasculature, endocardial surface, myocardium, Virchow-Robin space and neuropil. The hyphae were also identified in thyroid, trachea, gastric mucosa and kidney histological sections. Conclusion: Disseminated aspergillosis is a high-mortality infectious process that usually affects immunocompromised patients, specially those coursing with neutropenia. Despite immunological changes experienced as part of normal pregnancy, these per se do not predispose the mother to infections caused by opportunistic pathogens.

A Case of Disseminated Aspergillosis Presenting Solely as Multiple Cutaneous Lesions in an Acute Leukemia Patient / 감염과화학요법

Invasive aspergillosis (IA) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with hematological malignancies. While the development of new effective antifungals and advancement of diagnostic techniques have lead to improved outcomes, relapse of IA in patients with subsequent immunosuppression is emerging as a major issue. The primary IA site is the most common relapse site, but disseminated infection from the lung to multiple organs, including the brain, thyroid, liver, spleen, kidney, bone, heart valve, and skin, can often occur in patients with severe immunosuppression. Furthermore, relapsing or disseminated IA have very poor outcomes. We report a case of disseminated IA presenting as multiple cutaneous lesions without involvement of any other organs in an acute leukemia patient. The patient had suffered from prior invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, which was treated successfully. The multiple skin lesions were fully resolved after antifungal therapy for 6 weeks.