Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Dec;9(4):1146-1152.
doi: 10.1002/iid3.480. Epub 2021 Jun 15.

Cladophialophora bantiana and Nocardia farcinica infection simultaneously occurring in a kidney transplant recipient: Case report and literature review

Pedro Cortés  1 , D Jane Hata  2 , Claudia Libertin  3 , Diana M Meza Villegas  2 , Dana M Harris  1
Affiliations
Review

Cladophialophora bantiana and Nocardia farcinica infection simultaneously occurring in a kidney transplant recipient: Case report and literature review

Pedro Cortés et al. Immun Inflamm Dis. 2021 Dec.

Abstract

Solid organ transplant recipients are at increased risk of acquiring devastating infections with unusual pathogens. Nocardia are aerobic actinomycetes that affect the lungs, brain, skin and soft tissue. Cladophialophora species are dematiaceous fungi that overwhelmingly cause infections in the brain. Both organisms carry a high mortality rate. We present the first reported renal transplant case with Cladophialophora bantiana involving the renal allograft with concurrent invasive nocardiosis involving the lungs and brain.

Keywords: Cladophialophora; Nocardia; brain abscess; renal allograft.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there are no conflict of interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(A) Complex fluid collection lateral and inferolateral to transplanted pelvic kidney. (B) Nodular, ground‐glass opacities in the superior segment of left lower lobe. C. Right renal allograft following transplant nephrectomy. Cultures of biopsy tissue grew Cladophialophora bantiana
Figure 2
Figure 2
(A) Dematiaceous mold growing after 1 week of incubation at 30o C on inhibitory mold agar. (B) Lactophenol blue slide preparation (×10) of Cladophialophora bantiana. Note long conidia in chains with sparse branching
Figure 3
Figure 3
(A) T2 FLAIR of lobulated mass in posterior superior aspect of right superior temporal gyrus with peripheral decreased T2 signal intensity with associated mass effect, most consisted with abscess. (B) Complete drainage of abscess and resection of abscess capsule after craniotomy
Figure 4
Figure 4
(A) Touch prep of kidney tissue biopsy showing Cladophialophora bantiana. Gram stain, ×10. (B) Gram stain (×10) showing beaded and branching gram‐positive bacilli consistent with Nocardia farcinica
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Beaman BL, Beaman L. Nocardia species: host‐parasite relationships. Clin Microbiol Rev. 1994;7(2):213‐264. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Conville PS, Brown‐Elliott BA, Smith T, Zelazny AM. The complexities of nocardia taxonomy and identification. J Clin Microbiol. 2018;56(1). - PMC - PubMed
    1. Mehta HH, Shamoo Y. Pathogenic Nocardia: A diverse genus of emerging pathogens or just poorly recognized? PLOS Pathog. 2020;16(3):e1008280. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Harris DM, Dumitrascu AG, Chirila RM, et al. Invasive nocardiosis in transplant and nontransplant patients: 20‐year experience in a Tertiary Care Center. Mayo Clin Proc Innov Qual Outcomes. 2021;5(2):298‐307. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Groll AH, Walsh TJ. Uncommon opportunistic fungi: new nosocomial threats. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2001;7(suppl 2):8‐24. - PubMed

Supplementary concepts