Abstract
Fusarium species are frequent agents of onychomycosis and fungal keratitis, and occasional
agents of invasive disease. The clinical spectrum of fusariosis in the lungs includes
allergic disease (allergic bronchopulmonary fusariosis), hypersensitivity pneumonitis,
colonization of a preexisting cavity, and pneumonia. Fusarial pneumonia occurs almost
exclusively in severely immunocompromised patients, especially acute leukemia patients
and recipients of allogeneic cell transplantation. In such patients, invasive fusariosis
is usually disseminated, and pneumonia occurs in almost 50% of cases. The radiologic
picture is similar to invasive aspergillosis, with alveolar infiltrates, nodules with
or without halo sign, ground-glass infiltrates, and pleural effusions. Different from
aspergillosis is the frequent occurrence of disseminated nodular and papular skin
lesions and positive blood cultures. The drug of choice for the treatment of invasive
fusariosis is either voriconazole or liposomal amphotericin B. The outcome is usually
poor, and largely dependent on the recovery of the immune status of the host, particularly
neutropenia.
Keywords
Fusarium
- fusariosis - immunocompromised - pneumonia