Fatal Cokeromyces recurvatus pneumonia: report of a case highlighting the potential for histopathologic misdiagnosis as coccidioides

Int J Surg Pathol. 2011 Jun;19(3):373-6. doi: 10.1177/1066896908330483. Epub 2009 Jan 14.

Abstract

Cokeromyces recurvatus is a dimorphic zygomycete with histologic morphology similar to Coccidioides immitis. A 66-year-old man who was status-post bone marrow transplantation for chronic myelogenous leukemia was hospitalized with new onset rash, nausea, and vomiting and subsequently expired. A sputum culture collected on the day of death revealed heavy growth of C. recurvatus 6 days after collection. At autopsy, microscopic examination of the lungs revealed numerous thick-walled, nonbudding spherules ranging in size from 40 to 80 µm. Initial immunohistochemical staining of the formalin-fixed lung tissue was positive for Coccidioides. Additional immunoperoxidase staining revealed the organisms were consistent with a zygomycete fungus, compatible with C. recurvatus infection. Polymerase chain reaction using panfungal primers was attempted on the formalin-fixed tissue but was inconclusive. This case highlights the potential for misdiagnosing Cokeromyces as Coccidioides when the diagnosis is based on histology and immunohistochemical staining.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Coccidioidomycosis / diagnosis
  • Coccidioidomycosis / microbiology
  • Coccidioidomycosis / pathology
  • Diagnostic Errors
  • Fatal Outcome
  • Humans
  • Lung / microbiology*
  • Lung / pathology
  • Lung Diseases, Fungal / diagnosis*
  • Lung Diseases, Fungal / microbiology
  • Lung Diseases, Fungal / pathology
  • Male
  • Mucorales / isolation & purification*
  • Pneumonia / diagnosis*
  • Pneumonia / microbiology
  • Pneumonia / pathology