Acrophialophora levis brain abscess in a kidney transplant patient: A case report and review of the literature

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Chelsea E. Modlin, Emory University; Lauren F. Collins, Emory University; Eileen M. Burd, Emory University; Shawn R. Lockhart, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; G Marshall Lyon III, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2020-06-01
• Publisher: Elsevier: Creative Commons
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2020 The Authors
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mmcr.2020.03.002
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Medical Mycology Case Reports
• ISSN: 2211-7539
• Volume: 28
• Start Page: 12
• End Page: 15
• Grant/Funding Information: This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
• Keywords: Immunocompromised host; Brain abscess; Kidney transplantation; Acrophialophora levis; Phaeohyphomycosis
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Immunology

Abstract

We report the first case of Acrophialophora levis causing cerebral phaeohyphomycosis in a solid organ transplantation recipient. A. levis is a rare cause of invasive dematiaceous fungal infection among immunocompromised persons. We describe the clinical course of a kidney transplant patient who presented with acute hemiplegia due to a brain abscess from which A. levis was isolated. We review published clinical cases attributed to Acrophialophora species infection and discuss current limitations in its identification, diagnosis and management.