Isolation of an obscure fungus, Parengyodontium album, from the blood of a severely neutropenic patient: The first reported case from Malaysia

Isolation of an obscure fungus, Parengyodontium album, from the blood of a severely neutropenic patient: The first reported case from Malaysia

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Parengyodontium album is a very rarely encountered opportunistic Cat Furniture fungal pathogen.A severely neutropenic 11-year-old boy with acute T-cell lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma was febrile and lethargic during his admission for elective chemotherapy.No cutaneous lesion or obvious source of infection was noted, and clinical examination was otherwise unremarkable.A blood specimen was sent for culture and fungal elements were visualized.

Amphotericin B was administered empirically while awaiting fungal identification.Morphologically, a hyaline mould with thin septate hyphae plus smooth-walled conidiophores and conidiogenous cells arranged in whorls of up to four was cultured.Internal transcribed spacer region sequencing identified the fungus conclusively as P.album.

Repeat blood culture was PS5 also positive for the same fungus.Following a two-week course of amphotericin B, fungemia clearance was attained.