Firstcase of pneumonia-parapneumonic effusion due to Trichoderma longibrachiatum

Vasiliki Epameinondas Georgakopoulou; Despoina Melemeni; Konstantinos Mantzouranis; Christos Damaskos; Aikaterini Gkoufa; Serafeim Chlapoutakis; Nikolaos Garmpis; Anna Garmpi; Pagona Sklapani; Nikolaos Trakas; Xanthi Tsiafaki

doi:10.1016/j.idcr.2021.e01239

Firstcase of pneumonia-parapneumonic effusion due to Trichoderma longibrachiatum

IDCases. 2021 Jul 24:25:e01239. doi: 10.1016/j.idcr.2021.e01239. eCollection 2021.

Affiliations

¹ Pulmonology Department, Laiko General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
² 1st Pulmonology Department Sismanogleio Hospital, Athens, Greece.
³ Second Department of Propedeutic Surgery, Laiko General Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
⁴ N.S. Christeas Laboratory of Experimental Surgery and Surgical Research, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
⁵ First Department of Internal Medicine, Laiko General Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
⁶ Department of Thoracic Surgery, Agios Savvas Hospital, Athens, Greece.
⁷ First Department of Propedeutic Internal Medicine, Laiko General Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
⁸ Department of Cytology, Mitera Hospital, Athens, Greece.
⁹ Department of Biochemistry, Sismanogleio Hospital, Athens, Greece.

Abstract

Trichoderma longibrachiatum is a fungus belonging to the genus Trichoderma. Trichoderma longibrachiatum is not thought as a pathogenic for healthy individuals. However, it has the ability to produce toxic peptides and extracellular proteases and has been described to cause invasive infections in immunocompromised hosts. Trichoderma longibrachiatum has been reported as the causative microorganism of lung infections, skin infections, sinus infections, otitis, stomatitis endocarditis, pericarditis, gastrointestinal infections, mediastinitis and peritonitis. We report the first case of pneumonia with parapneumonic effusion in an old woman with diabetes mellitus due to Trichoderma longibrachiatum.

Keywords: ADA, adenosine deaminase; ALP, alkaline phosphatase; ALT, alanine transaminase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; CRP, C-reactive protein; CT, computerized tomography; Diabetes mellitus; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; FiO2, fraction of inspired oxygen; Fungal infection; GGT, gamma glutamyl transferase; HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; Hb, hemoglobin; Ht, hematocrit; LDH, serum lactate dehydrogenase; PTLS, platelets; Pleural effusion; SG, specific gravity; TSH, thyroid-stimulating hormone; Trichoderma longibrachiatum; WBC, white blood cells.

Publication types

Case Reports