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Unusual Presentation of Disseminated Histoplasmosis in an Immunocompetent Host

Histoplasmosis, a fungal infection caused by the inhalation of Histoplasma capsulatum conidia spores, has been shown to cause disseminated disease in immunocompromised individuals. Disseminated histoplasmosis manifests as multi-system involvement including pulmonary and/or neurological disease. Imag...

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Autores principales: Subramanian, Maya, Mehta, Ashin, Jha, Pinky
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Cureus 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10519440/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37753008
http://dx.doi.org/10.7759/cureus.44170
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author Subramanian, Maya
Mehta, Ashin
Jha, Pinky
author_facet Subramanian, Maya
Mehta, Ashin
Jha, Pinky
author_sort Subramanian, Maya
collection PubMed
description Histoplasmosis, a fungal infection caused by the inhalation of Histoplasma capsulatum conidia spores, has been shown to cause disseminated disease in immunocompromised individuals. Disseminated histoplasmosis manifests as multi-system involvement including pulmonary and/or neurological disease. Imaging findings, such as pulmonary focal infiltrates, cavitary nodules, mediastinal, and hilar lymphadenopathy, are common. Here, we report a rare case of disseminated histoplasmosis in a 58-year-old immunocompetent male with no occupational exposure. This patient presented with primary adrenal insufficiency, and a subsequent CT-guided biopsy of the adrenal gland was performed and revealed numerous spores containing Histoplasma capsulatum. This patient also suffered from numerous pulmonary and neurological derangements, which are likely sequelae of the disseminated fungal infection. Ultimately, the patient succumbed to their illness and died. Preventing such outcomes relies on early detection and prompt management, which are crucial in treating disseminated histoplasmosis. Increased awareness of atypical presentations can enhance patient outcomes and alleviate the impact of this severe fungal infection. This case not only underscores the importance of considering disseminated histoplasmosis in an immunocompetent patient presenting with unexplained weight loss and adrenal insufficiency but also contributes to the limited literature on disseminated histoplasmosis in immunocompetent individuals.
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spelling pubmed-105194402023-09-26 Unusual Presentation of Disseminated Histoplasmosis in an Immunocompetent Host Subramanian, Maya Mehta, Ashin Jha, Pinky Cureus Internal Medicine Histoplasmosis, a fungal infection caused by the inhalation of Histoplasma capsulatum conidia spores, has been shown to cause disseminated disease in immunocompromised individuals. Disseminated histoplasmosis manifests as multi-system involvement including pulmonary and/or neurological disease. Imaging findings, such as pulmonary focal infiltrates, cavitary nodules, mediastinal, and hilar lymphadenopathy, are common. Here, we report a rare case of disseminated histoplasmosis in a 58-year-old immunocompetent male with no occupational exposure. This patient presented with primary adrenal insufficiency, and a subsequent CT-guided biopsy of the adrenal gland was performed and revealed numerous spores containing Histoplasma capsulatum. This patient also suffered from numerous pulmonary and neurological derangements, which are likely sequelae of the disseminated fungal infection. Ultimately, the patient succumbed to their illness and died. Preventing such outcomes relies on early detection and prompt management, which are crucial in treating disseminated histoplasmosis. Increased awareness of atypical presentations can enhance patient outcomes and alleviate the impact of this severe fungal infection. This case not only underscores the importance of considering disseminated histoplasmosis in an immunocompetent patient presenting with unexplained weight loss and adrenal insufficiency but also contributes to the limited literature on disseminated histoplasmosis in immunocompetent individuals. Cureus 2023-08-26 /pmc/articles/PMC10519440/ /pubmed/37753008 http://dx.doi.org/10.7759/cureus.44170 Text en Copyright © 2023, Subramanian et al. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
spellingShingle Internal Medicine
Subramanian, Maya
Mehta, Ashin
Jha, Pinky
Unusual Presentation of Disseminated Histoplasmosis in an Immunocompetent Host
title Unusual Presentation of Disseminated Histoplasmosis in an Immunocompetent Host
title_full Unusual Presentation of Disseminated Histoplasmosis in an Immunocompetent Host
title_fullStr Unusual Presentation of Disseminated Histoplasmosis in an Immunocompetent Host
title_full_unstemmed Unusual Presentation of Disseminated Histoplasmosis in an Immunocompetent Host
title_short Unusual Presentation of Disseminated Histoplasmosis in an Immunocompetent Host
title_sort unusual presentation of disseminated histoplasmosis in an immunocompetent host
topic Internal Medicine
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10519440/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37753008
http://dx.doi.org/10.7759/cureus.44170
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