An unusual case of Scedosporium apiospermum fungaemia in an immunocompetent patient with a left ventricular assist device and an implantable cardiac device

Shireen Yan Ling Tan; Shimin Jasmine Chung; Teing Ee Tan; Louis Teo; Ban Hock Tan; Yen Ee Tan

doi:10.1099/acmi.0.000148

An unusual case of Scedosporium apiospermum fungaemia in an immunocompetent patient with a left ventricular assist device and an implantable cardiac device

Access Microbiol. 2020 Jun 25;2(9):acmi000148. doi: 10.1099/acmi.0.000148. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Shireen Yan Ling Tan¹, Shimin Jasmine Chung², Teing Ee Tan³, Louis Teo³, Ban Hock Tan², Yen Ee Tan¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Microbiology, Singapore General Hospital, Academia, 20 College Road, Singapore 169856, Singapore.
² Department of Infectious Diseases, Singapore General Hospital, Academia, 20 College Road, Singapore 169856, Singapore.
³ National Heart Centre Singapore, 5 Hospital Drive, Singapore 169609, Singapore.

Abstract

Left ventricular assist device (LVAD)-related infections are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, with fungal infections being particularly difficult to manage. We report a case of an immunocompetent 39-year-old male with an LVAD and an implantable cardiac device (ICD) who developed fatal Scedosporium apiospermum fungaemia. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of LVAD-related S. apiospermum fungaemia.

Keywords: Scedosporium apiospermum; blood; cardiac device; fungaemia; immunocompetent; ventricular assist device.

Publication types

Case Reports