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Geotrichosis Due to Magnusiomyces capitatus: A Severe Emerging Invasive Fungal Disease

Summary

A 71-year-old man with cancer undergoing chemotherapy developed a rare and serious fungal blood infection caused by Magnusiomyces capitatus. Despite treatment with antifungal medications, the infection spread throughout his body and he died 10 days after admission. This case highlights how some fungi can resist common antifungal drugs and the importance of quickly identifying the exact type of fungus causing an infection to choose the right treatment.

Background

Geotrichosis is a rare opportunistic mycosis caused by Magnusiomyces capitatus, an emerging yeast that is ubiquitous in the environment and part of normal human microbiota. This infection primarily affects immunocompromised patients and is often poorly understood in clinical practice, with M. capitatus exhibiting intrinsic resistance to certain antifungal agents.

Objective

To report a case of invasive M. capitatus infection in a neutropenic patient with rectosigmoid cancer undergoing chemotherapy and to highlight the clinical, microbiological, and therapeutic challenges of diagnosing and managing this emerging mycosis.

Results

Blood cultures and multiple specimen sites (urine, catheter, protected distal specimen) revealed M. capitatus with arthrospores visible on microscopy. Whitish, dry colonies with irregular edges were observed on Sabouraud agar. Despite intensive antifungal treatment with caspofungin followed by voriconazole, the patient died 10 days after admission.

Conclusion

This case underscores the severity of invasive M. capitatus infections in immunocompromised patients and emphasizes the critical importance of rapid, accurate diagnosis using modern tools like mass spectrometry to enable appropriate antifungal therapy selection and optimize patient management outcomes.
  • Published in:Cureus,
  • Study Type:Case Report,
  • Source: PMID: 40717877, DOI: 10.7759/cureus.87699
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