Magnusiomyces Capitatus Lung Nodule in a Patient with Nasopharyngeal and Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Mycopathologia. 2023 Oct;188(5):841-843. doi: 10.1007/s11046-023-00786-2. Epub 2023 Sep 2.

Abstract

Magnusiomyces capitatus is a dimorphic yeast commonly isolated from the environment and was uncommonly reported as a disease in Asia. It may cause invasive infection in patients with hematological malignancies, especially those with neutropenia, and resulting in high mortality. Herein, we reported a man with nasopharyngeal carcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma suffered from intermittent fever after pulmonary nodules resection. The histopathology showed yeast-like fungal elements. For further identification, we extracted the tissue DNA from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue and M. capitatus was confirmed using polymerase chain reaction amplification and sequencing of the ITS region of ribosomal DNA. After a 4-week amphotericin B and flucytosine treatment, his condition recovered well and then was followed by a 3-month oral fluconazole treatment. There was no evidence of recurrence within one year. Our case highlights that nucleic acids obtained from formalin-fixed tissue could be a feasible identification method, especially in those whose culture results are unavailable.

Keywords: Fungal infection; Magnusiomyces capitatus; Paraffinembedded tissue; Polymerase chain reaction.