Disseminated Fusarium bloodstream infection in a child with acute myeloid leukemia: A case report

BACKGROUND: Disseminated Fusarium is rare in healthy children. Children with hematological tumors may have secondary fungal infections, including Fusarium infections, which are due to tumor bone marrow infiltration or prolonged bone marrow suppression after chemotherapy. Because of the lack of typical clinical manifestations and effective antifungal drugs, early diagnosis and treatment of the disease are difficult, and the prognosis is poor. CASE SUMMARY: The patient in this case was a 13-year-old female child with rash and fever as the first symptoms. She had the characteristics of the four stages of skin that are typical of Fusarium infection. She was diagnosed with disseminated Fusarium infection through skin biopsy and blood culture and diagnosed with Fusarium solani infection based on the morphological characteristics of the blood culture. After treatment with liposome amphotericin B combined with voriconazole, the child recovered. CONCLUSION: This case highlights that for children with secondary agranulocytosis after receiving chemotherapy for hematological malignancies, once typical abnormal skin damage is found, the possibility of Fusarium infection should be considered, and voriconazole alone or in combination with polyenes may be the most effective anti-Fusarium drugs. Amphotericin B, the traditional drug of disseminated Fusarium disease, has a high mortality rate, and it is not recommended to use it alone. Adequate neutrophil counts are essential for the treatment of disseminated Fusarium bloodstream infection.