Pleural empyema due to Rhodotorula mucilaginosa: A rare yet severe complication of a previously undiagnosed cancer patient

Ana Isabel Ferreira; Hugo Cruz; Ridhi Ranchor; Bruno S Silva; Joana Serôdio; Virgínia Lopes; Maria Helena Ramos

doi:10.1016/j.idcr.2022.e01469

Pleural empyema due to Rhodotorula mucilaginosa: A rare yet severe complication of a previously undiagnosed cancer patient

IDCases. 2022 Mar 7:28:e01469. doi: 10.1016/j.idcr.2022.e01469. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Ana Isabel Ferreira¹, Hugo Cruz², Ridhi Ranchor³, Bruno S Silva⁴, Joana Serôdio⁵, Virgínia Lopes², Maria Helena Ramos²

Affiliations

¹ Clinical Pathology Service, Unidade Local de Saúde de Castelo Branco, Portugal.
² Microbiology Service, Department of Pathology, Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Porto, Portugal.
³ Oncology Service, Department of Medicine, Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Porto, Portugal.
⁴ Pulmonology Service, Department of Medicine, Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Porto, Portugal.
⁵ Internal Medicine Service, Department of Medicine, Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Porto, Portugal.

Abstract

Rhodotorula mucilaginosa (R. mucilaginosa) has been increasingly recognized as an emerging opportunistic pathogen causing invasive fungal infection, mainly in immunosuppressed patients. We report the case of a previously undiagnosed lung cancer patient with a pleural empyema due to R. mucilaginosa.

Keywords: Amphotericin B; Cancer patient; Invasive fungal infection; MALDI-TOF MS; Pleural empyema; Rhodotorula mucilaginosa.

Publication types

Case Reports