Successful treatment of a Trichosporon beigelii septicemia in a granulocytopenic patient with amphotericin B and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor

Abstract

Invasive fungal infections have become an increasing problem in severely immunocompromised hosts. We here report a case of septicemia, caused by Trichosporon beigelii, an unusual pathogen of systemic infections. This infection was acquired during a period of severe neutropenia after chemotherapy for relapsed acute myelogenous leukemia following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. The patient recovered from a life-threatening T. beigelii septicemia due to early intensified treatment with amphotericin B and a rapid neutrophil recovery, enhanced by granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF). According to the current literature, amphotericin B is the treatment of choice for systemic T. beigelii infections. In patients with severe granulocytopenia, the rapid recovery of neutrophils remains the most important factor for the outcome of this infection.