Septate fungal invasion in masked mastoiditis: a diagnostic dilemma

Long-Term Follow-Up of a Case of Probable Aspergillus Skull Base Osteomyelitis With Galactomannan Test and Literature Review

We report a probable case of Aspergillus basicranial infection diagnosed by pathogenic serological examination presenting atypical initial manifestations, and highlight the importance of serological examination to avoid treatment delay and disease management. An 84-year-old diabetic patient presented with right peripheral nerve palsy, intolerable otalgia, hearing loss, dysphagia, hoarseness, and bucking. The patient was diagnosed a probable Aspergillus skull base osteomyelitis with cranial neuritis and meningitis of central nervous system. Galactomannan test was used in combination with 1-3-β-D-glucan and magnetic resonance imaging to follow-up during the continuous treatment of voriconazole. To date, the patient has remained in clinical remission for over 39 months but the drug cannot be stopped safely.

Osteoarticular Mycoses

Osteoarticular mycoses are chronic debilitating infections that require extended courses of antifungal therapy and may warrant expert surgical intervention. As there has been no comprehensive review of these diseases, the International Consortium for Osteoarticular Mycoses prepared a definitive treatise for this important class of infections. Among the etiologies of osteoarticular mycoses are Candida spp., Aspergillus spp., Mucorales, dematiaceous fungi, non-Aspergillus hyaline molds, and endemic mycoses, including those caused by Histoplasma capsulatum, Blastomyces dermatitidis, and Coccidioides species. This review analyzes the history, epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnostic approaches, inflammatory biomarkers, diagnostic imaging modalities, treatments, and outcomes of osteomyelitis and septic arthritis caused by these organisms. Candida osteomyelitis and Candida arthritis are associated with greater events of hematogenous dissemination than those of most other osteoarticular mycoses. Traumatic inoculation is more commonly associated with osteoarticular mycoses caused by Aspergillus and non-Aspergillus molds. Synovial fluid cultures are highly sensitive in the detection of Candida and Aspergillus arthritis. Relapsed infection, particularly in Candida arthritis, may develop in relation to an inadequate duration of therapy. Overall mortality reflects survival from disseminated infection and underlying host factors.

Trends and Outcomes of Fungal Temporal Bone Osteomyelitis: A Scoping Review

INTRODUCTION

Temporal bone osteomyelitis is an invasive infection most often caused by bacteria and associated with high mortality. Fungal etiologies are rare and little is known of the predictors of disease severity and outcomes in fungal temporal bone osteomyelitis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A scoping review was performed to determine what is known from the literature on how clinical, diagnostic, and treatment characteristics relate to patient outcomes in fungal temporal bone osteomyelitis. Using PRISMA guidelines, three databases were searched to identify all published cases of fungal temporal bone osteomyelitis. Data were extracted from each study, including clinical, diagnostic, and treatment characteristics, and outcomes.

RESULTS

Sixty-eight studies comprising 74 individual cases of fungal temporal bone osteomyelitis were included. All studies were case reports. There were high rates of diabetes, facial nerve palsy, infectious complications, and need for surgical intervention, as well as a significant delay in the evaluation and diagnosis of fungal temporal bone osteomyelitis. Disease recovery was greater in patients presenting with otorrhea, comorbid diabetes, and in those without facial nerve palsy.

DISCUSSION

Many of the defining characteristics of fungal temporal bone osteomyelitis remain unknown, and future reports should focus on determining factors that improve timely diagnosis and treatment of fungal TBO in addition to identifying prognostic indicators for outcomes and survival.

Mycological study on cholesteatoma keratin obtained during primary mastoid surgery

Objective:

Established middle-ear cleft cholesteatoma is associated with keratinous debris, which is likely to be an ideal medium for saprophytic fungal colonisation. This prospective case study aimed to explore the incidence and nature of fungal elements in cholesteatoma keratin samples obtained during primary mastoid surgery.

Methods:

All cases of middle-ear cleft cholesteatoma treated with primary mastoid surgery at the El-Sahel Teaching Hospital over a seven-month period were included. Keratinous debris obtained from the mastoid antrum was subjected to mycological analysis at the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University. A literature search was performed to determine the clinical and pathological relevance of fungal colonisation in cholesteatoma.

Results:

Eighteen patients underwent primary mastoid surgery for cholesteatoma (nineteen ears in total) in a seven-month period starting 30 March 2013. Patients included 13 males and 5 females, with an age range of 9 to 45 years (mean 23 years). Fungal cultures were obtained from 17 keratin samples (89 per cent). Of these, five fungal isolates belonged to the dermatophyte group (21 per cent).

Conclusion:

Fungal colonisation in middle-ear cleft cholesteatoma probably plays a significant role in disease progression. Moreover, saprophytic fungal colonisation in cholesteatoma keratin may be responsible for the fetor commonly associated with the ear discharge.

Aspergillus osteomyelitis: epidemiology, clinical manifestations, management, and outcome

BACKGROUND

The epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management of Aspergillus osteomyelitis are not well understood.

METHODS

Protocol-defined cases of Aspergillus osteomyelitis published in the English literature were reviewed for comorbidities, microbiology, mechanisms of infection, clinical manifestations, radiological findings, inflammatory biomarkers, antifungal therapy, and outcome.

RESULTS

Among 180 evaluable patients, 127 (71%) were males. Possible predisposing medical conditions in 103 (57%) included pharmacological immunosuppression, primary immunodeficiency, and neutropenia. Seventy-three others (41%) had prior open fracture, trauma or surgery. Eighty (44%) followed a hematogenous mechanism, 58 (32%) contiguous infections, and 42 (23%) direct inoculation. Aspergillus osteomyelitis was the first manifestation of aspergillosis in 77%. Pain and tenderness were present in 80%. The most frequently infected sites were vertebrae (46%), cranium (23%), ribs (16%), and long bones (13%). Patients with vertebral Aspergillus osteomyelitis had more previous orthopedic surgery (19% vs 0%; P = 0.02), while those with cranial osteomyelitis had more diabetes mellitus (32% vs 8%; P = 0.002) and prior head/neck surgery (12% vs 0%; P = 0.02). Radiologic findings included osteolysis, soft-tissue extension, and uptake on T2-weighted images. Vertebral body Aspergillus osteomyelitis was complicated by spinal-cord compression in 47% and neurological deficits in 41%. Forty-four patients (24%) received only antifungal therapy, while 121 (67%) were managed with surgery and antifungal therapy. Overall mortality was 25%. Median duration of therapy was 90 days (range, 10-772 days). There were fewer relapses in patients managed with surgery plus antifungal therapy in comparison to those managed with antifungal therapy alone (8% vs 30%; P = 0.006).

CONCLUSIONS

Aspergillus osteomyelitis is a debilitating infection affecting both immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients. The most common sites are vertebrae, ribs, and cranium. Based upon this comprehensive review, management of Aspergillus osteomyelitis optimally includes antifungal therapy and selective surgery to avoid relapse and to achieve a complete response.

[Problematics of fungal infections in the paranasal sinuses]

Fungal infections of the ear and paranasal sinus, are recognised quite rarely, but they make sometimes, for many reasons, very important diagnostic-therapy issue. Cantagion may developes near every paranasal sinus. Facilities to invasion give every states, which weaken general and punctual immunity (like immunosupression, chemo-sterydotherapy, blood disease, pregnancy and HIV). After penetrated organism, course of infections, in case of type of patogens, trim of the patient and localization, can have without symptoms, sharp, chronic or fulminant shape. The hardest course with the highest mortality occur in the cases of mucormycosis and aspergillosis. Actually curiosity occur cases of fungal infections, since this times consider to be unpathogenic for humans. For treatment of sinus mycosis in majority chirurgical treatment is required. In addition or the sake of morphological differentiation fungal, in their developing cycle, treatment mycosis recommends serious difficulty, extra factor, which impeds therapy, is a must of prolongely antifungal treatment and repeated (to total elimination) remove hyphae from sinus, which stay sometimes even for week. Progress of the mycotic infections in paranasal sinus, remain bacterial infections and is often reason of bad diagnosis and incorrect treatment.

[Problematics of fungal infections in the ear]

Fungal infections of the ear are recognised quite rarely, but they make sometimes, for many reasons, very important diagnostic-therapy issue. Cantagion may developes in every elements of the ear, ranging from external ear (external canal ear, sometimes auricle), middle ear (every pneumatic structure) to iner ear (extra ordinary rarely). Every states, which weaken general and punctual immunity (like immunosupression, chemo-sterydotherapy, blood disease, pregnancy and HIV) are circles, which give facilities to invansion. After penetrated organism, course of infections, in case of type of patogens, trim of the patient and localization, can have without symptoms, sharp, chronic or fulminant shape. For the sake of morphological differentiation fungal, in their developing cycle, treatment mycosis recommends serious difficulty, extra factor, which impeds therapy, is a must of prolongely antifungal treatment and repeated (to total elimination) remove hyphae from ear, which stay sometimes even for week. Progress of the mycotic infections ear, remain bacterial infections and is often reason of bad diagnosis and incorrect treatment.