Talaromycosis

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Talaromycosis
Other names: Penicillium marneffei,[1] penicilliosis[2] or penicillosis[3]
Facial nodules with talaromycosis (DermNet NZ penicilliosis-v3).jpg
Facial nodules with talaromycosis
SpecialtyInfectious diseases
SymptomsBumps in the skin, fever, anaemia, large lymph glands,large liver.[2] Sometimes no symptoms.[4]
CausesTalaromyces marneffei[1]
Risk factorsHIV/AIDS, long-term steroids, organ transplant, old age, malnutrition[4]
Diagnostic methodMicroscopy, culture, biopsy, [2] medical imaging[4]
Differential diagnosisTuberculosis, histoplasmosis[4]
PreventionItraconazole[1]
TreatmentAntifungals[1]
MedicationAmphotericin B followed by itraconazole or voriconazole[1]
PrognosisOften fatal if untreated[1]
Frequencyunknown,[1] males>females[4]

Talaromycosis is a fungal infection that presents with painless bumps in the skin of the face and neck, fever, anaemia, large lymph glands and liver.[1][5]

It is caused by the fungusTalaromyces marneffei, which is found in soil and decomposing organic matter.[1] The infection is thought to be acquired by breathing in the fungus from the environment, however, the environmental source of the organism is not known.[2] It typically occurs in people who are already sick and unable to fight infection such as HIV/AIDS, cancer, organ transplant, long-term steroid use, old age, malnutrition or autoimmune disease.[2][4] It generally does not affect healthy people and does not spread from person to person.[2] Diagnosis is usually made by identification of the fungus from clinical specimens, either by microscopy or culture. Biopsies of skin lesions, lymph nodes, and bone marrow demonstrate the presence of organisms on histopathology.[2] Medical imaging may reveal shadows in the lungs.[4] The disease can look similar to tuberculosis, histoplasmosis and leishmaniasis.[4][6]

Talaromycosis may be prevented in people at high risk, using the antifungal medication itraconazole, and is treatable with amphotericin B followed by itraconazole or voriconazole.[2] The disease is fatal in 75% of those not given treatment.[2]

Talaromycosis is endemic exclusively to southeast Asia (including southern China and eastern India), and particularly in young farmers.[2] The exact number of people in the world affected is not known.[2] Men are affected more than women.[4] The first natural human case of talaromycosis was reported in 1973 in an American minister with Hodgkin's disease who lived in Southeast Asia.[7]

Signs and symptoms

There may be no symptoms,[4] or talaromycosis may present with small painless bumps in the skins.[2] The head and neck are most often affected.[2] Other features include: fever, general discomfort, weight loss, cough, difficulty breathing, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, swelling of the spleen (splenomegaly), liver swelling (hepatomegaly), swollen lymph nodes (lymphadenopathy),[2] and anemia.[2][4] There may be no symptoms.[4]

In those without HIV infection, the lungs, liver, and mouth are usually affected, with systemic infection rarely occurring.[2] The skin bumps are also often smooth.[2] The disease tends to present differently in those with HIV infection; they are more likely to experience widespread infection.[2] Their skin bumps however, are usually dented in the centre and can appear similar to molluscum contagiosum.[2][4]

Cause

Talaromycosis is usually caused by T. marneffei, however, other species of the Talaromyces genus are also known to cause the disease in rare cases.[2]

Risk factors

Talaromycosis rarely affects healthy people and generally occurs in people who are already sick and unable to fight infection such as HIV/AIDS, cancer, organ transplant, long-term steroid use, old age, malnutrition or autoimmune disease.[2][4]

Mechanism

The infection is thought to be acquired through breathing in the organism from the environment. However, the exact source of infection is not known.[2] The infection is not spread person-to-person.[2] In Thailand, talaromycosis is more common during the rainy season; rain may promote the proliferation of the fungus in the environment.[2]

Diagnosis

T. marneffei colony

There is no accurate fast serological test.[3] Diagnosis relies on identifying Talaromyces marneffei in cultures from clinical specimens such as sputum, blood, skin scrapings, lymph node, and bone marrow,[4] by which time the disease is in the late-stage.[8] Fungi in blood are found in half of case.[4] On agar, the diffusion of a soluble red pigment can be observed.[4]

Non-specific laboratory findings may show evidence of the fungus invading tissue, such as low platelets due to bone marrow infiltration, and elevated transaminases due to liver involvement.[9]

Biopsies of skin lesions, lymph nodes, and bone marrow demonstrate the presence of organisms on histopathology.[9] Intracellular and extracellular forms are oval and have a characteristic transverse septum.[4] In culture, colonies are powdery green and produce red pigment; however, cultures are negative in a significant number of cases.[8]

Medical imaging may reveal shadows in the lungs.[4]

Differential diagnosis

The disease can look similar to tuberculosis and histoplasmosis[4]

Treatment

Talaromycosis may be prevented in people at high risk, using the antifungal medication itraconazole, and is treatable with amphotericin B followed by itraconazole or voriconazole.[2]

Outcomes

With treatment, less than 25% of those affected die.[2] Without treatment, more than 75% will die.[2]

Epidemiology

The exact number of people in the world affected is not known.[2] Once considered rare, its occurrence increased due to HIV/AIDS to become the third most common opportunistic infection (after extrapulmonary tuberculosis and cryptococcosis) in HIV-positive individuals within the endemic area of Southeast Asia.[2][5] While incidence in those with HIV began to decrease due to antiretroviral treatment, the number of cases in those without HIV began to rise in some endemic areas since the mid-1990s, likely due to improved diagnosis and an increase in other conditions that reduce immunity.[2] The disease has been found to be more common in young farmers.[2] Men are affected more than women.[4]

History

T. marneffei was first isolated from a bamboo rat in Vietnam in 1956.[7] Three years later, it was described by Gabriel Segretain as a new species with disease potential.[7] The first natural human case of talaromycosis was reported in 1973 in an American minister with Hodgkin's disease who lived in Southeast Asia.[7]

Research

An antigen assay has been developed to detect a key virulence factor Mp1p that has been shown to have a high specificity for Talaromyces marneffei.[8]

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 "ICD-11 - ICD-11 for Mortality and Morbidity Statistics". icd.who.int. Archived from the original on 1 August 2018. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  2. 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 2.23 2.24 2.25 2.26 2.27 2.28 2.29 2.30 "Talaromycosis (formerly Penicilliosis) | Fungal Diseases | CDC". www.cdc.gov. 3 March 2021. Archived from the original on 12 July 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Ning, Chuanyi; Lai, Jingzhen; Wei, Wudi; Zhou, Bo; Huang, Jiegang; Jiang, Junjun; Liang, Bingyu; Liao, Yanyan; Zang, Ning (2018). "Accuracy of rapid diagnosis of Talaromyces marneffei: A systematic review and meta-analysis". PLOS ONE. 13 (4): e0195569. Bibcode:2018PLoSO..1395569N. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0195569. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 5886574. PMID 29621346.
  4. 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 4.18 4.19 4.20 Proia, Laurie (2020). "28. The dimorphic mycoses". In Spec, Andrej; Escota, Gerome V.; Chrisler, Courtney; Davies, Bethany (eds.). Comprehensive Review of Infectious Diseases. Elsevier. pp. 420–421. ISBN 978-0-323-56866-1. Archived from the original on 2021-07-12. Retrieved 2021-07-12.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Chastain, Daniel B.; Henao-Martínez, Andrés F.; Franco-Paredes, Carlos (22 August 2017). "Opportunistic Invasive Mycoses in AIDS: Cryptococcosis, Histoplasmosis, Coccidiodomycosis, and Talaromycosis". Current Infectious Disease Reports. 19 (10): 36. doi:10.1007/s11908-017-0592-7. ISSN 1523-3847. PMID 28831671.
  6. Johnstone, Ronald B. (2017). "25. Mycoses and Algal infections". Weedon's Skin Pathology Essentials (2nd ed.). Elsevier. p. 463. ISBN 978-0-7020-6830-0. Archived from the original on 2021-05-25. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Cao, Cunwei; Xi, Liyan; Chaturvedi, Vishnu (December 2019). "Talaromycosis (Penicilliosis) Due to Talaromyces (Penicillium) marneffei: Insights into the Clinical Trends of a Major Fungal Disease 60 Years After the Discovery of the Pathogen". Mycopathologia. 184 (6): 709–720. doi:10.1007/s11046-019-00410-2. ISSN 1573-0832. PMID 31811603. Archived from the original on 2021-07-13. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 Thu, Nguyen T. M.; Chan, Jasper F. W.; Ly, Vo Trieu; Ngo, Hoa T.; Hien, Ha T. A.; Lan, Nguyen P. H.; Chau, Nguyen V. V.; Cai, Jian-Piao; Woo, Patrick C. Y.; Day, Jeremy N.; van Doorn, Rogier (21 June 2020). "Superiority of a novel Mp1p antigen detection enzyme immunoassay compared to standard BACTEC blood culture in the diagnosis of talaromycosis". Clinical Infectious Diseases. doi:10.1093/cid/ciaa826. ISSN 1537-6591. PMID 32564074. Archived from the original on 4 April 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  9. 9.0 9.1 Bennett; Dolin; Blaser; Mandell; Bennett (2015). Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. Elsevier/Saunders.

External links

Classification