Skip to main content
Log in

Aspergillus endocarditis, myocarditis and pericarditis complicating necrotizing fasciitis

Case report and subject review

  • Case Report
  • Published:
Virchows Archiv Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A patient with Aspergillus endocarditis, myocarditis and pericarditis is described. A 55-year-old man developed necrotizing fasciitis of the lower abdominal wall, pelvis and right thigh. Despite aggressive surgical débridement and antibiotic coverage, the patient died of multisystem organ failure. Autopsy revealed Aspergillus thromboulcerative endocarditis, myocarditis and pericarditis, acute necrotizing fungal bronchopneumonia and mycotic dissemination to brain, kidney and thyroid gland. A review of the literature showed that in the absence of open-heart surgery Aspergillus endocarditis and myocarditis are very uncommon.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Aisenfarb JC, Dupre-Minet M, Asseman P, Chammas E, Lesenne M, Thery C (1993) Endocardite aspergillaire primitive. Arch Mal Coeur Vaiss 86: 259–261

    Google Scholar 

  2. Blanc P, Hoffman P, Michaels JF, Bernard E, Vinti H, Morand P, Loubière R (1990) L'atteinte cardiaque des patients porteurs du virus de l'immunosuppression humaine (VIH). A propos de 38 cas. Ann Cardiol Angeiol (Paris) 39: 519–525

    Google Scholar 

  3. Bogner JR, Luftl S, Middeke M, Spengel F (1990) Erfolgreiche medikamentöse Therapie einer Aspergillen-Endokarditis. Dtsch Med Wochenschr 115: 1833–1837

    Google Scholar 

  4. Buchbinder NA, Roberts WC (1972) Active infective endocarditis confined to mural endocarditis. A study of six necropsy patients. Arch Pathol 93: 435–440

    Google Scholar 

  5. Caplan HI, Frisch E, Hoghton JD, Climo MS, Natsios GA (1968) Aspergillus fumigatus endocarditis. Report of a case diagnosed during life. Ann Intern Med 68: 378–385

    Google Scholar 

  6. Cohen DM, Goggans EA (1971) Sclerosing mediastinitis and terminal valvular endocarditis caused by fungus suggestive of Aspergillus species. Am J Clin Pathol 56: 91–96

    Google Scholar 

  7. Cortet B, Richard R, Deprez X, Lucet L, Flipo RM, Le Loët X, Duquesnoy B, Delcambre B (1994) Aspergillus spondylodiscitis: successful conservative treatment in 9 cases. J Rheumatol 21: 1287–1291

    Google Scholar 

  8. Cox JN, di Dio F, Pizzolato GP, Lerch R, Pochon N (1990) Aspergillus endocarditis and myocarditis in a patient with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). A review of the literature. Virchows Arch [A] 417: 255–259

    Google Scholar 

  9. Falsey AR, Goldsticker RD, Ahern MJ (1990) Fatal subcutaneous aspergillosis following necrotizing fasciitis: a case report. Yale J Biol Med 63: 9–13

    Google Scholar 

  10. Garcia Gomez R, Valdespino Estrada A, Lopez Ortiz R (1981) Endocarditis por Aspergillus. Informe de un caso tratado quirurgicamente con exito. Arch Inst Cardiol Mex 51: 549–553

    Google Scholar 

  11. Grigor'ev BA (1984) Gerneralized aspergillosis (in Russian). Arkh Patol 46: 63–66

    Google Scholar 

  12. Henochowicz S, Mustafa M, Lawrinson WE, Pistole M, Lindsay J (1985) Cardiac aspergillosis in acquired immune deficiency syndrome. Am J Cardiol 55: 1239–1240

    Google Scholar 

  13. Hofman P, Gari-Toussaint M, Bernard E, Michiels JF, Gibelin P, Le Fichoux Y, Morand P, Loubiere R (1992) Myocardites fungiques au cours du syndrome d'immunodéficience acquise. Arch Mal Coeur Vaiss 85: 203–208

    Google Scholar 

  14. Hurley J, McGovern E (1994) Rupture of a sinus of Valsalva aneurysm due to Aspergillus endocarditis. J Cardiovasc Surg 35: 75–77

    Google Scholar 

  15. Kaplan R, Duncalf D, Cizmar S (1981) Aspergillus pancarditis and cardiac arrest during anesthesia. Anesth Analg 60: 440–444

    Google Scholar 

  16. Kirschstein RL, Sidransky H (1956) Mycotic endocarditis of the tricuspid valve due to Aspergillus flavus. Arch Pathol 62: 103–106

    Google Scholar 

  17. Kotwal MR, Rinchhen CZ (1981) Primary aspergillosis with multisystem dissemination (letter). Lancet I: 562

    Google Scholar 

  18. Kuijer PMM, Kuijper EJ, Tweel JG van den, Lelie J van der (1992) Aspergillus fumigatus, a rare cause of fatal coronary artery occlusion. Infection 20: 45–47

    Google Scholar 

  19. Light JT Jr, Hendrickson M, Sholes WM, Portnoy DA, Bell WH III, Kerstein MD (1991) Acute aortic occlusion secondary to Aspergillus endocarditis in an intravenous drug abuser. Ann Vasc Surg 5: 271–275

    Google Scholar 

  20. Luke JL, Bolande RP, Gross S (1963) Generalized aspergillosis and Aspergillus endocarditis in infancy. Report of a case. Pediatrics 31: 115–122

    Google Scholar 

  21. Medical Staff Conference (1971) The spectrum of fungal endocarditis. Calif Med 115: 34–40

    Google Scholar 

  22. Meyer RD, Fox ML (1973) Aspergillus endocarditis. Therapeutic failure of amphotericine B. Arch Intern Med 132: 102–106

    Google Scholar 

  23. Mikulski SM, Love LJ, Bergquist EJ, Hargadon MT, Applefeld MM, Mergner W (1979) Aspergillus vegetative endocarditis and complete heart block in a patient with acute leukemia. Chest 76: 473–476

    Google Scholar 

  24. Mullen P, Jude C, Borkon M, Porterfield J, Walsh TJ (1986) Aspergillus mural endocarditis. Clinical and echocardiographic diagnosis. Chest 90: 451–452

    Google Scholar 

  25. Nishiura T, Miyazaki Y, Oritani K, Tominaga N, Tomiyama Y, Katagiri S, Kanayama Y, Yonezawa T, Tarui S, Yamada T, Sakurai M, Kume H, Okudaira M (1986) Aspergillus vegetative endocarditis complicated with schizocytic hemolytic anemia in a patient with acute lymphocytic leukemia. Acta haematol 76: 60–62

    Google Scholar 

  26. Patiño JF, Castro D (1991) Necrotizing lesions of soft tissues: a review. World J Surg 15: 235–239

    Google Scholar 

  27. Peterson SP, Schiller N, Stricker RB (1984) Failure of two-dimensional echocardiography to detect Aspergillus endocarditis. Chest 85: 291–294

    Google Scholar 

  28. Ramos Fernandez V, Prieto Rodriguez M, Paradis Alos A, Lopez Chulia F, Salom Fuster JV, Vera Sempere FJ (1993) Aspergilosis diseminada angioinvasiva: diagnostico necropsico en pacientes leucosicos. An Med Interna 10: 337–340

    Google Scholar 

  29. Rea WJ, Wyrick WJ Jr (1970) Necrotizing fasciitis. Ann Surg 172: 957–964

    Google Scholar 

  30. Ribera JM, Ferrer O, Blade J, Valls V, Carreras E, Granena A, Montserrat E, Rozman C (1983) Endocarditis por Aspergillus en un paciente con leucemia aguda linfoblastica en remision. Med Clin (Barc) 81: 436–439

    Google Scholar 

  31. Riou B, Rimailho A, Sinico M, Richard C, Auzepy P (1985) Endocardite droite au cours d'une aspergillose disseminée. Ann Med Interne (Paris) 136: 398–400

    Google Scholar 

  32. Rouse TM, Malangoni MA, Schulte WJ (1982) Necrotizing fasciitis: a preventable disaster. Surgery 92: 765–770

    Google Scholar 

  33. Rubinstein E, Lang R (1995) Fungal endocarditis. Eur Heart J 16: 84–89

    Google Scholar 

  34. Rubinstein E, Noriega ER, Simberkoff MS, Holzman R, Rahal JJ (1975) Fungal endocarditis: analysis of 24 cases and review of the literature. Medicine (Baltimore) 54: 331–344

    Google Scholar 

  35. Schwartz DA (1989) Aspergillus pancarditis following bone marrow transplantation for chronic myelogeneous leukemia. Chest 95: 1338–1339

    Google Scholar 

  36. Stevens DL (1992) Invasive group A streptococcus infections. Clin Infect Dis 14: 2–11

    Google Scholar 

  37. Swensson EE, Willman VL, Peterson GJ (1986) Acute aortic occlusion from aspergillosis in a healthy patient with survival. J Vasc Surg 4: 187–191

    Google Scholar 

  38. Vasin VA, Papkov VG, Libiiainen TP, Vasin IV (1987) Aspergillotic septic endocarditis of the mitral and trigeminal valves as a complication of silicotuberculosis (in Russian). Arkh Patol 49: 50–53

    Google Scholar 

  39. Vishniavsky N, Sagar KB, Markowitz SM (1983) Aspergillus fumigatus endocarditis on a normal heart valve. South Med J 76: 506–508

    Google Scholar 

  40. Walsh TJ, Hutchins GM (1979) Aspergillus mural endocarditis. Am J Clin Pathol 71: 640–644

    Google Scholar 

  41. Welsh RA, Buchness JM (1955) Aspergillus endocarditis, myocarditis and lung abscesses. Report of a case. Am J Clin Pathol 25: 782–786

    Google Scholar 

  42. Woods GL, Wood RP, Shaw BW Jr (1989) Aspergillus endocarditis in patients without prior cardiovascular surgery: report of a case in a liver transplant recipient and review. Rev Infect Dis 11: 263–272

    Google Scholar 

  43. Zimmerman LE (1950) Candida and Aspergillus endocarditis with comments on the role of antibiotics in dissemination of fungus disease. Arch Pathol 50: 591–605

    Google Scholar 

  44. Zimmerman LE (1955) Fatal fungus infections complicating other diseases. Am J Clin Pathol of 25: 46–65

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

Dedicated to Prof. Dr. G. Seifert, emeritus Director of the Institute of Pathology, University of Hamburg, on the occasion of his 75th birthday

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Sergi, C., Hofmann, W.J., Sinn, P. et al. Aspergillus endocarditis, myocarditis and pericarditis complicating necrotizing fasciitis. Vichows Archiv A Pathol Anat 429, 177–180 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00192441

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00192441

Key words

Navigation