RARE FATAL SIMULTANEOUS MOLD INFECTION OF THE LUNG CAUSED BY ASPERGILLUS-FLAVUS AND THE BASIDIOMYCETE COPRINUS SP IN A LEUKEMIC PATIENT

The basidiomycete Coprinus sp. was isolated repeatedly from bronchial secretions and bronchoalveolar lavage of a 40-year-old woman suffering from a relapse of acute lymphoblastic leukemia 5 years after she unde rwent autologous bone marrow transplantation. Post-mortem microbiologi cal investigation of lung tissue revealed simultaneously growing Copri nus sp. and Aspergillus flavus. Histopathological examination of the l ung demonstrated septate hyphae characteristic of both Aspergillus and Coprinus. The basidiomycete Coprinus sp. should be considered as a po tential opportunistic pathogen because of its excellent growth at 37 d egrees C.