Aureobasidium melanigenum catheter-related bloodstream infection: a case report

Aureobasidium melanigenum is a ubiquitous dematiaceous fungus that rarely causes invasive human infections. Here, we present a case of Aureobasidium melanigenum bloodstream infection in a 20-year-old man with long-term catheter use.

A 20-year-old man receiving home care with severe disabilities due to cerebral palsy and short bowel syndrome, resulting in long-term central venous catheter use, was referred to our hospital with a fever. After the detection of yeast-like cells in blood cultures on day 3, antifungal therapy was initiated. Two identification tests performed at a clinical microbiological laboratory showed different identification results: Aureobasidium pullulans from matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, and Cryptococcus albidus from a VITEK2 system. Therefore, we changed the antifungal drug to liposomal amphotericin B. The fungus was identified as A. melanigenum by DNA sequence-based analysis. The patient recovered with antifungal therapy and long-term catheter removal.

It is difficult to correctly identify A. melanigenum by routine microbiological testing. Clinicians must pay attention to the process of identification of yeast-like cells and retain A. melanigenum in cases of refractory fungal infection.