Detection of Coccidioides posadasii in a patient with meningitis using metagenomic next-generation sequencing: a case report
Open Access
- 17 September 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in BMC Infectious Diseases
- Vol. 21 (1), 1-5
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-021-06661-z
Abstract
Coccidioidomycosis is a systemic infection caused by dimorphic fungi Coccidioides spp. endemic to Southwestern United States and Central and South America. A history of residence and travel in these areas is essential for the diagnostic of coccidioidomycosis, which has highly variable symptoms ranging from asymptomatic to severe, disseminated infection, and even death. Immunocompromised patients of coccidioidomycosis experience a high risk of dissemination, chronic infection, and mortality. Meningitis is one of the most deleterious coccidioidomycosis and can cause various life-threatening complications. Here we report a case of Coccidioides posadasii meningitis in a 49-year-old female who returned to China after one and a half years residence in Los Angeles, USA. The repeated routine cultures using CSF for bacteria or fungi were all negative. To hunt for an infectious etiology, the state-of-the-art technology metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) was then utilized, suggesting Coccidioides posadasii. Organizational pathological examination and polymerase-chain-reaction (PCR) results subsequently confirmed the mNGS detection. To our knowledge, cases for coccidioidal meningitis have been rarely reported in China. While global travelling may spread this disease across continents and make the diagnosis more difficult. mNGS can detect almost all known pathogens with high sensitivity and specificity, especially for uncommon pathogen, such as Coccidioides posadasii in China.This publication has 20 references indexed in Scilit:
- Serology Enhances Molecular Diagnosis of Respiratory Virus Infections Other than Influenza in Children and Adults Hospitalized with Community-Acquired PneumoniaJournal of Clinical Microbiology, 2017
- Cerebrospinal Fluid (1,3)-Beta- d -Glucan Testing Is Useful in Diagnosis of Coccidioidal MeningitisJournal of Clinical Microbiology, 2016
- CoccidioidomycosisInfectious Disease Clinics of North America, 2016
- Coccidioidomycosis: Recent UpdatesSeminars in Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 2015
- CoccidioidomycosisClinics in Dermatology, 2012
- Coccidioidal MeningitisClinical Infectious Diseases, 2006
- Coccidioidomycosis—A Fungal Disease of the AmericasPLoS Medicine, 2005
- Coccidioidomycosis: Host Response and Vaccine DevelopmentClinical Microbiology Reviews, 2004
- Coccidioidomycosis of the Central Nervous System: Neuropathological and Vasculopathic Manifestations and Clinical CorrelatesClinical Infectious Diseases, 1995
- Varieties of Coccidioidal Infection in Relation to the Epidemiology and Control of the DiseasesAmerican Journal of Public Health and the Nations Health, 1946