Hepatic abscess caused by Aspergillus fumigatus infection following splenectomy and immunosuppressive therapy

Abstract

Hepatic abscess caused by Aspergillus fumigatus infection is rare. The incidence of fungal hepatic abscess has recently increased. We report a case of Aspergillus fumigatus infection in a 66-year-old man with aplastic anemia who presented with intermittent high fever. He had received splenectomy about 2 years before this admission followed by treatment with anti-human thymocyte globulin, corticosteroids, and cyclosporin. Abdominal sonography and computerized tomography scan of the liver revealed a hepatic abscess and empiric broad-spectrum antibiotics were administered, but fever persisted. Culture of abscess aspirate yielded Aspergillus fumigatus. Amphotericin B was administered, but the patient died of sepsis. With the increasing number of immunocompromised patients, various fungal infections, including Aspergillus fumigatus, are increasingly common, and this infection can be very serious with fatal outcome. Alertness to the possibility that fungal infection may be present when an immunocompromised patient with hepatic abscess presents in hospital is important to decreasing morbidity and mortality.