Pythium insidiosum pleuropericarditis complicating pneumonia in a child with leukemia.

Heath, John A; Kiehn, Timothy E; Brown, Arthur E; LaQuaglia, Michael P; Steinherz, Laurel J; Bearman, Gonzalo; Wong, May; Steinherz, Peter G · Clin Infect Dis · 2002

case_report · Level V

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Abstract

We describe a 12-year-old boy with acute myeloid leukemia who developed pleuropericarditis while he was neutropenic and was receiving intravenously administered antibiotic and antifungal therapy for pneumonia. A KOH preparation of the purulent material from an extensive diagnostic and therapeutic pleuropericardial drainage procedure revealed multiple irregularly septate hyphae, and cultures yielded the organism Pythium insidiosum. After completing a 12-month course of intravenously administered liposomal amphotericin B (AmBisome; Fujisawa Healthcare) and itraconazole, the patient remained alive, in clinical remission, and symptom free.

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