Date: 26 November 2013
Transverse sections through the thorax of a patient with AIDS, hepatitis C and a left tempero-parietal cerebral lymphoma. His CD4 cell count was 45 x 106 / l. The lymphoma was proven by biopsy after a poor response to anti-toxoplasma therapy. He was given dexamethasone to cover the surgery and then developed diabetes mellitus. He did not receive chemotherapy for his lymphoma but did have 2 cerebral radiotherapy treatments (1.8 Gy each). Three weeks after the biopsy he developed dyspnoea and fever. Shortly after this he developed a right-sided hemiparesis, became comatose and died 2 days later.Autopsy showed a cerebral lymphoma and pulmonary and renal aspergillosis. Aspergillus nidulans was recovered from cultures of lungs and kidney.
Copyright:
Images submitted by Dr. Cornelia Lass-Floerl, University of Innsbruck – Institute of Hygiene; the case team includes: Dr. Mario Sarcletti, Dr. Alfons Stöger and Prof. Hans Maier all at the University of Innsbruck.
Notes: n/a
Images library
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Gross pathology demonstrating the great pleural thickness and two cavities (upper lobe and superior segment of lower lobe) with fragments of fungal mass.
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Histopathological appearance of a fungus ball. Note a conidial head resulting from fungal exposure to the air.
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Histopathological appearance of a fungus ball caused by Scedosporium apiospermum. The presence of anneloconidia differentiates it from Aspergillus.
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Chronic necrotising aspergillosis. Hyaline hyphal and calcium oxalate crystals obtained by needle aspirate biopsy from a diabetic patient with chronic necrotizing aspergillosis caused by Aspergillus niger (Papanicolaou, x 100).
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Aspergillus niger fungus ball and acute oxalosis. Higher magnification of adjacent replicate section.
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Oxalate crystals within renal tubuli (H&E, phase contrast, x 100). This patient developed acute oxalosis.
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Lung surface. Fungus ball, severe parenchymal fibrosis and pleural thickening.
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The periphery of the fungus ball is deeply eosinophilic because of the deposition of Splendore-Hoeppli material.
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