Abdullah Abdullah, Jasim Yomon, Alagili Mohamed
General Medicine, Barnet Hospital, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, London, GBR.
Geriatrics, University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust, Bournemouth, GBR.
Cureus. 2025 Jul 8;17(7):e87529. doi: 10.7759/cureus.87529. eCollection 2025 Jul.
is an uncommon but increasingly recognized cause of opportunistic infections, particularly in immunocompromised individuals. We describe the case of a 92-year-old man on long-term corticosteroids who presented with progressive gait instability, confusion, and posterior headache. Initial neuroimaging revealed parietal-occipital and cerebellar lesions, raising concerns for malignancy or infarction. Although corticosteroid therapy initially provided temporary symptom relief, the patient subsequently deteriorated. Skin changes consistent with cellulitis were developed in the upper limb, and rapid progression of neurological lesions on repeat imaging, findings more suggestive of an infectious rather than a malignant process. Cultures from the skin lesion grew , prompting the initiation of voriconazole and flucytosine. Despite appropriate antifungal therapy, the patient's condition worsened, culminating in multiorgan failure and death. Retrospective history revealed a fall in a muddy garden, suggesting direct cutaneous inoculation as the source of infection, an atypical presentation since most cases are associated with near-drowning incidents. This case highlights the diagnostic challenges posed by rare fungal central nervous system infections that mimic more common intracranial pathologies and underscores the importance of early tissue sampling and multidisciplinary collaboration in managing such complex cases.
是机会性感染的一种罕见但日益被认识到的病因,尤其是在免疫功能低下的个体中。我们描述了一名长期使用皮质类固醇的92岁男性病例,该患者出现进行性步态不稳、意识模糊和后头痛。最初的神经影像学检查发现顶枕叶和小脑病变,引发了对恶性肿瘤或梗死的担忧。尽管皮质类固醇治疗最初提供了暂时的症状缓解,但患者随后病情恶化。上肢出现了与蜂窝织炎一致的皮肤变化,重复影像学检查显示神经病变迅速进展,这些发现更提示为感染性而非恶性过程。皮肤病变培养物生长出 ,促使开始使用伏立康唑和氟胞嘧啶。尽管进行了适当的抗真菌治疗,患者的病情仍恶化,最终导致多器官功能衰竭和死亡。回顾病史发现患者曾在泥泞的花园中摔倒,提示直接皮肤接种为感染源,这是一种非典型表现因为大多数病例与近乎溺水事件相关。该病例凸显了罕见真菌性中枢神经系统感染所带来的诊断挑战,这些感染会模仿更常见的颅内病变,并强调了在处理此类复杂病例时早期组织取样和多学科协作的重要性。