Kodamaea ohmeri as an emerging pathogen: a case report and review of the literature

Noura Al-Sweih1, Zia U Khan, Suhail Ahmad

  • 1Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, Shuwaikh, Kuwait.

Medical Mycology
|March 29, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Kodamaea ohmeri fungemia is an emerging threat in premature infants. This case highlights successful treatment with amphotericin B and the importance of recognizing this yeast as a bloodstream pathogen.

Area of Science:

  • Medical Mycology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Neonatal Care

Background:

  • Kodamaea (Pichia) ohmeri is an emerging fungal pathogen causing fungemia, particularly in immunocompromised individuals.
  • Fungal bloodstream infections (fungemia) pose significant risks to vulnerable patient populations.

Observation:

  • A case of Kodamaea ohmeri fungemia is presented in a premature neonate (29 weeks gestation).
  • The neonate had prior episodes of bacterial sepsis.
  • The yeast was identified through phenotypic methods and rDNA sequencing (ITS and D1/D2 regions).

Findings:

  • Kodamaea ohmeri was successfully eradicated using amphotericin B treatment.
  • The study reviews pediatric cases, underscoring K. ohmeri's rising role as a bloodstream pathogen.

Implications:

  • This case emphasizes the need for heightened awareness of K. ohmeri in neonatal intensive care units.
  • Early diagnosis and appropriate antifungal therapy are crucial for managing K. ohmeri fungemia in neonates.
  • Further research into K. ohmeri epidemiology in pediatric populations is warranted.

Related Concept Videos

Toxoplasmosis01:28

Toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasmosis, a zoonotic disease caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, poses significant public health challenges globally due to its high seroprevalence and varied clinical manifestations. As an obligate intracellular parasite, T. gondii can infect all warm-blooded vertebrates, but felids are its only definitive hosts, shedding unsporulated oocysts into the environment. Humans typically acquire the infection through ingestion of tissue cysts in undercooked meat or oocysts from...
Amebiasis01:28

Amebiasis

Entamoeba histolytica, a protozoan parasite, is responsible for intestinal and extraintestinal amebiasis. Though a significant proportion of infections remain asymptomatic, approximately 50 million individuals annually are estimated to present with clinical disease, resulting in up to 100,000 deaths globally. The disease burden is disproportionately high in regions with lower socioeconomic status, such as parts of India, Africa, Mexico, and Latin America.Etiology and TransmissionThe infective...
Infectious Diseases and Their Occurrence01:28

Infectious Diseases and Their Occurrence

Infectious diseases appear in populations through various transmission patterns, influenced by pathogen characteristics, population immunity, environmental conditions, and social behavior. Understanding these patterns is essential for effective public health surveillance and intervention. These categories—sporadic, outbreak, epidemic, pandemic, and endemic—help frame the nature and scope of disease events.Sporadic diseases occur irregularly and infrequently, without a predictable temporal or...
Fungal Phylum Microsporidia01:28

Fungal Phylum Microsporidia

Microsporidia are a group of obligate intracellular fungi that were initially classified as protists but were later reclassified based on phylogenetic, molecular, and structural evidence linking them to the Chytridiomycota. These unicellular, non-motile organisms are highly specialized parasites that infect a wide range of animal hosts, including humans. They have evolved extensive genomic and metabolic reductions, making them highly dependent on their hosts for survival.Morphology and Genomic...
Malaria01:29

Malaria

Malaria pathogenesis in humans reflects a delicate interplay between parasite biology and host response. Clinical illness reflects a host’s immune response to the parasite’s asexual replication cycle, which is often asymptomatic in individuals with partial immunity. From the parasite's perspective, transmission between mosquito and human with minimal host pathology is evolutionarily advantageous. Among the six Plasmodium species infecting humans, P. falciparum and P. vivax dominate in global...
Investigation of Disease Outbreaks01:23

Investigation of Disease Outbreaks

Multistate foodborne outbreaks pose significant public health risks and require meticulous investigation to identify sources and implement control measures. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) utilizes a dynamic seven-step process for these investigations, integrating data from laboratories, interviews, and environmental assessments to protect public health.Outbreak Detection: The detection of multistate outbreaks typically begins with PulseNet, the CDC's national laboratory...