Caecal perforation in a renal transplant patient with disseminated histoplasmosis

Abstract

A renal transplant patient developed a fatal caecal perforation after Histoplasma capsulatum infection acquired abroad. Disseminated histoplasmosis is an uncommon fungal infection, usually seen in patients with impaired immunity. The diagnosis should be considered in immunosuppressed patients who develop prolonged fever or whose health deteriorates unexpectedly after travelling overseas. The infection is endemic in parts of the United States of America but occurs all over the world. Rapid diagnosis is often possible by histological examination of infected tissues. Treatment if started early may lead to recovery, but if it is not treated it is usually fatal.