First case of proven invasive pulmonary infection due to Trichoderma longibrachiatum in a neutropenic patient with acute leukemia

Abstract

Trichoderma species are saprophytic filamentous fungi that can be found all over the word. These fungi show increasing medical importance as opportunistic human pathogens, particularly in immunocompromised patients. Invasive infections due to Trichoderma are rare and definitive diagnosis is complex to achieve because of the lack of specific diagnosis tools. We report in this work the first proven case of invasive pulmonary infection due to T. longibrachiatum in a 69-year-old white male with hematologic malignancy. The patient was successfully treated initially with voriconazole alone followed by a combination of voriconazole and caspofungine.

Keywords: (1–3)-β-D-glucan; Caspofungin-voriconazole combination therapy; Invasive pulmonary infection; Serum Aspergillus galactomannan; Trichoderma longibrachiatum.