Isolated sinusitis sphenoidalis caused by Trichoderma longibrachiatum in an immunocompetent patient with headache

• Published in: Journal of medical microbiology Vol. 62; no. 8; pp. 1249 - 1252
• Main Authors: MOLNAR-GABOR, Etelka, DOCZI, Ilona, HATVANI, Lóránt, VAGVÖLGYI, Csaba, KREDICS, László
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Reading Society for General Microbiology 01.08.2013
• Subjects: Adult; Antifungal Agents - pharmacology; Antifungal Agents - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; DNA, Fungal - chemistry; DNA, Fungal - genetics; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genetic Loci - genetics; Headache; Humans; Immunocompetence; Infectious diseases; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Medical sciences; Microbiology; Miscellaneous; Mycology; Mycoses - drug therapy; Mycoses - microbiology; Mycoses - surgery; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Sphenoid Sinusitis - drug therapy; Sphenoid Sinusitis - microbiology; Sphenoid Sinusitis - surgery; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Treatment Outcome; Trichoderma - classification; Trichoderma - drug effects; Trichoderma - genetics; Trichoderma - isolation & purification; Fungi; Human; Headache; Nervous system diseases; Pain; ENT disease; Paranasal sinus disease; Fungi Imperfecti; Microorganism; Neurological disorder; Sinusitis
• ISSN: 0022-2615; 1473-5644
• DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.059485-0

We present a case of isolated sinusitis sphenoidalis caused by Trichoderma longibrachiatum, an emerging causal agent of fungal infections with an often fatal outcome. A Trichoderma strain was isolated from secretion obtained from the sinus sphenoidalis of a rhinosinusitis patient and identified by sequence analysis of two loci as Trichoderma longibrachiatum from the Longibrachiatum Clade of the genus Trichoderma. T. longibrachiatum can trigger a fatal pathomechanism in immunodeficient patients, but only rarely causes disease in healthy people. The case presented is unique because the patient was not immunocompromised.