Sepsis Due to Rhodotorula mucilaginosa in a Patient with Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Abstract

CASE REPORTA 77-yr-old woman presented to the hospital with cough and dyspnea. Two years ago, she was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer and had been treated with wedge resection and several rounds of combined chemotherapy and radiation therapy.In the present visit, her initial diagnosis was bronchopneumonia with pleural effusion. Empirical antibiotic therapy by intravenous piperacillin/sulbactam was started. She was stable and afe- Rhodotorula species are round to oval-shaped, multilateral budding, encapsulated yeasts that produce urease and do not ferment carbohydrates. Rhodotorula species form characteristic salmon-pink colored colonies owing to carotenoid pigment production. These yeasts form a part of the normal flora of moist skin and are found in the environment. Rhodotorula was traditionally considered a contaminant but is now progressively recognized as a human pathogen, especially in immunocompromised patients with central venous catheters. However, isolation of Rhodotorula species from blood has been very rarely reported in Korea. We report a case of sepsis due to Rhodotorula mucilaginosa infection in a patient who had received chemotherapy and supportive care for non-small cell lung cancer.

A Case of Localized Fungal Pneumonia Caused by Rhodotorula mucilaginosa in an Immunocompetent Patient

“…This case is unique compared with the previously-reported Rhodotorula infection cases from Korea, which involved either immunocompromised patients or patients undergoing invasive procedures (i.e., central venous catheterization and continuous peritoneal dialysis) [ 6 – 8 ], in that our patient was immunocompetent, without ongoing invasive procedures.…”