FATAL PENICILLIUM-CITRINUM PNEUMONIA WITH PERICARDITIS IN A PATIENT WITH ACUTE-LEUKEMIA

We report here a case of fatal Penicillium citrinum infection. The pat ient, who suffered from acute myeloid leukemia, developed signs and sy mptoms typical of fungal pneumonia and pericardial tamponade after und ergoing standard induction chemotherapy. Despite attaining complete re mission of her leukemia, the patient succumbed 8 weeks after presentat ion. At autopsy, multiple nodular cavitary pulmonary lesions with inva sion by fungal hyphae were found, Pericardial and lung tissue obtained at autopsy grew P. citrinum, a fungus ubiquitous in the environment b ut seldom reported as a pathogen. The microbiological findings were co nsistent with the histopathological features and confirmed this as a c ase of true P. citrinum infection causing fatal pulmonary and pericard ial complications in an immunocompromised host.