Kazachstania slooffiae: An unexpected journey to a human pleural sample

Victor Mercier (1, 2) , M. Desnos-Ollivier (3, 4) , Anaïs Lamy (2) , Martin Mahul (2) , Milène Sasso (1, 2)

1 MIVEGEC - Maladies infectieuses et vecteurs : écologie, génétique, évolution et contrôle
2 CHU Nîmes - Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nîmes
3 Mycologie moléculaire - Molecular Mycology
4 CNRMA - Centre National de Référence Mycoses Invasives et Antifongiques - National Reference Center Invasive Mycoses & Antifungals

We report a case of a 50-year-old shepherd hospitalized in intensive care unit for hiatal hernia complicated by an occlusive syndrome. In post-surgery, an acute respiratory distress occurs due to mediastinitis with large pleural effusion. At the laboratory, direct examination of the pleural sample revealed the presence of pseudohyphae. Kazachstania slooffiae was identified by Mass Spectrometry and confirmed by DNA sequencing. This uncommon yeast has never been previously described in human infections. Although its pathogenicity is not well known, K. slooffiae should be considered in the case of critically ill patients.

Keywords: Candida slooffiae; DNA sequencing; Emerging fungal disease; Kazachstania slooffiae; Mass Spectrometry; Zoonoses

Domains: Mycology

Victor Mercier, M. Desnos-Ollivier, Anaïs Lamy, Martin Mahul, Milène Sasso. Kazachstania slooffiae: An unexpected journey to a human pleural sample. Journal of Medical Mycology = Journal de Mycologie Médicale, 2021, 31 (2), pp.101109. ⟨10.1016/j.mycmed.2020.101109⟩. ⟨pasteur-03243543⟩