Rare fatal simultaneous mould infection of the lung caused by Aspergillus flavus and the basidiomycete Coprinus sp. in a leukemic patient

Abstract

The basidiomycete Coprinus sp. was isolated repeatedly from bronchial secretions and bronchoalveolar lavage of a 40-year-old woman suffering from a relapse of acute lymphoblastic leukemia 5 years after she underwent autologous bone marrow transplantation. Post-mortem microbiological investigation of lung tissue revealed simultaneously growing Coprinus sp. and Aspergillus flavus. Histopathological examination of the lung demonstrated septate hyphae characteristic of both Aspergillus and Coprinus. The basidiomycete Coprinus sp. should be considered as a potential opportunistic pathogen because of its excellent growth at 37 degrees C.