Trichosporon beigelii: a life-threatening pathogen in immunocompromised hosts

Patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation are profoundly immunosuppre ssed as a result of their intensive myeloablative chemotherapy and are at h igh risk for opportunistic fungal infections mainly caused by Candida spp a nd Aspergillus spp. Trichosporon beigelii (T beigelii) has emerged as a lif e-threatening opportunistic pathogen in granulocytopenic and immunocompromi sed hosts and there is a marked increase in cases reported in the literatur e. Response to antifungal agents is poor, mortality is high and immunologic al recovery is the most important factor for a favorable outcome in patient s with trichosporonosis. We present three cases of T, beigelii infection in patients undergoing allogeneic bone marrow transplantation in our center a nd we review cases described in the literature.