Aspergillus in a cervico-vaginal smear of an adult postmenopausal female: An unusual case

J Cytol. 2009 Jul;26(3):123-4. doi: 10.4103/0970-9371.59401.

Abstract

There are several case reports documenting opportunistic fungal infection in the female genital tract, withr Aspergillus spp being a rarely reported causative organism. We hereby report a case of Aspergillus infection in a 48 year-old, postmenopausal female with carcinoma of the cervix. She presented with features of pelvic inflammatory disease, and an initial routine cervico-vaginal smear revealed severe inflammation along with fungal bodies. The features were consistent with the presence of Aspergillus spp, while the background epithelial cells were negative for intraepithelial malignancy. She was offered therapy for pelvic inflammatory disease. A repeat Papanicolaou smear after two weeks was negative for intraepithelial organisms, but showed the evidence of a high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion, with biopsy confirming squamous cell carcinoma.

Keywords: Aspergillus; cervix; papanicolaou smear.

Publication types

  • Case Reports