ABSTRACT
Invasive fungal infections are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Endogenous fungal endophthalmitis is a rare intraocular infection with potential vision threatening consequences. Our review of the literature revealed only one other case of Trichosporon endophthalmitis. Ocular fungal infections are difficult to eradicate because of the limited availability of systemic and intravitreal therapeutic agents and poor tissue penetration of current antifungals. Along with systemic antifungal agents, vitrectomy and intravitreal amphotericin B have been suggested as optimal treatments for fungal endophthalmitis. Other antifungals such as flucytosine and triazoles have recently received consideration. Although the current antifungal therapy is not highly successful, there remains a significant potential for more successful treatments in the future, based on the current studies. We report a case of endogenous trichosporon endophthalmitis that was successfully treated with micafungin and voriconazole. This combination has not been previously reported as a successful therapy in literature. More targeted research is required to uncover additional efficacious therapies to combat trichosporon.
ABSTRACT
Eosinophilic esophagitis is an under-recognized inflammatory disorder of the esophagus. It has been frequently diagnosed in pediatric patients; however, over the last few years, there has been an increase in the number of cases recognized in adults as well. Despite this fact, eosinophilic esophagitis (EE) is often a delayed diagnosis in the primary care setting due to the overlapping symptoms it shares with other esophageal and gastrointestinal disorders such as gastroesophageal reflux disease and gastroenteritis, as well as a lack of awareness among physicians who see adult patients. We performed an exhaustive search of the literature, which revealed over 400 articles on EE; however, most were reported in gastroenterology or autoimmune specialty journals. We report a case of eosinophilic esophagitis in a 39-year-old man who presented with persistent epigastric abdominal pain and who was diagnosed via endoscopy and biopsy.
ABSTRACT
Mucorales species are deadly opportunistic fungi with a rapidly invasive nature. A rare disease, mucormycosis is most commonly reported in patients with diabetes mellitus, because the favorable carbohydrate-rich environment allows the Mucorales fungi to flourish, especially in the setting of ketoacidosis. However, case reports over the past 20 years show that a growing number of cases of mucormycosis are occurring during treatment following bone marrow transplants (BMT) and hematological malignancies (HM) such as leukemia and lymphoma. This is due to the prolonged treatment of these patients with steroids and immunosuppressive agents. Liposomal amphotericin B treatment and posaconazole are two pharmacologic agents that seem to be effective against mucormycosis, but the inherently rapid onset and course of the disease, in conjunction with the difficulty in correctly identifying it, hinder prompt institution of appropriate antifungal therapy. This review of the literature discusses the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of mucormycosis among the BMT and HM populations.
