Frontiers in Fungal Biology (Feb 2022)

Herpes simplex Virus Pneumonitis in an Acute/Subacute Paracoccidioidomycosis Patient With Malabsorption Syndrome. Case-Report and Literature Review

  • Ricardo S. Cavalcante,
  • Bruno S. Souza,
  • Iverson X. Duarte,
  • Marcelo P. T. Moraes,
  • Kunie I. R. Coelho,
  • Beatriz L. Griva,
  • Beatriz A. S. Pereira,
  • Sueli A. Calvi,
  • Marluci Betini,
  • Rinaldo P. Mendes

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/ffunb.2021.805502
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 2

Abstract

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Paracoccidioides sp.—Herpes simplex virus (HSV) co-infection was not reported until now and malabsorption syndrome is a rare complication of the acute/subacute form (AF) of paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM), characterized by life-threatening abnormalities, such as fat and protein loss, lymphopenia, ascites, and intense immunosuppression. A 21-year-old woman presented the PCM AF with intense involvement of the abdominal and intestinal lymphoid organs, which leads to the malabsorption syndrome and severe immunosuppression. This patient developed a fatal-disseminated HSV infection associated with the paracoccidioidal disease. This case demonstrates that, in addition to the antigen-specific immunosuppression, some PCM patients can present a generalized cell-mediated immune depression and endogenous infection of latent microorganisms. On the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of an association between PCM and HSV infection.

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