Trichosporon spp. is an emerging fungal pathogen in immunocompromised hosts, and disseminated infection is often fatal in neutropenic patients.

Trichosporon species induce summer-type hypersensitivity pneumonitis (SHP), which is the most prevalent type of hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) in Japan. It can also induce asthma. (#11926630#)

Of the six species of Trichosporon known to cause human infections, T. asahii is the main agent of invasive trichosporonosis. There are approximately 120 reported cases of hematogenously disseminated infections with this life-threatening yeast.

Types (Exemples)

 Trichosporon asahii

Synopsis

 systemic sepsis (disseminated Trichosporonosis, disseminated Trichosporon asahii infection)

• fatal septic shock
• hepatic
• pulmonary
• cutaneous

 generalized lymphadenopathy in immunodeficeincies

• Job syndrome (markedly elevated IgE with eosinophilia) (#11862981#)

 diagnosis

• blastic conidia
• hyphal elements breaking into arthroconidia
• isolation of T. asahii in pure culture.

 summer-type hypersensitivity pneumonitis (#9719099#, #9652310#)
 induced asthma (#11926630#)
 Trichosporon asahii oesophagitis (contaminated endoscope) (#11398636#)

Predisposing factors

 neutropenia

• chemotherapy
• bone marrow allogaft

 preterm (#13680511#) and neonates (#11840088#)
 no predisposing factors (#11477533#)