Madurella mycetomatis infection following allogenic stem cell transplantation for aplastic anemia

Abstract

Madurella mycetomatis is the most common fungal agent causing eumycetoma. The commonest clinical presentation of the infection is the appearance of multiple sinuses with discharge of grains, which are the colonies of the fungus. It is an emerging fungal infection among transplant recipients and has not been reported following stem cell transplantation. We report here a case of aplastic anemia who developed madura foot, caused by Madurella mycetomatis, following allogenic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. The diagnosis was made by the examination of discharged black grains under microscope which reavaled presence of septate hyphae and the culture of the discharged granules grew Madurella mycetomatis. The patient was treated with voriconazole followed by excision of the lesion, which resulted in complete recovery. Considering the increasing number of patients undergoing stem cell transplantation for various hematological diseases, the implications of this fungal infection should be recognized as delay in treatment may be life-threatening.