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Talaromyces marneffei Outside Endemic Areas in India: an Emerging Infection with Atypical Clinical Presentations and Review of Published Reports from India

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Abstract

Talaromycosis is a disseminated disease caused by Talaromyces (Penicillium) marneffei, mainly seen in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients. Its distribution is restricted to southeast Asian countries; a small pocket of endemicity exists in the northeast Indian state of Manipur. Here, we present a series of five cases presenting to our tertiary care hospital, originating from non-endemic states neighboring Manipur. In addition to the geographical distinction, a variety of unique features were noted in our cases, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative hosts, the absence of typical skin lesions, presentation as pneumonia and generalized lymphadenopathy. Our series highlights the importance of distinguishing this disease from histoplasmosis and tuberculosis, both endemic in India.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology, Apollo Hospitals, No.21, Greams Lane, Off Greams Road, Chennai, 600006, India

    Nandini Sethuraman & M. A. Thirunarayan

  2. Department of Infectious Diseases, Apollo Hospitals, No.21, Greams Lane, Off Greams Road, Chennai, 600006, India

    Ram Gopalakrishnan & V. Ramasubramanian

  3. Mycology Section, Department of Medical Microbiology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Sector-12, Chandigarh, 160012, India

    Shivaprakash Rudramurthy

  4. Department of Histopathology, Apollo Hospitals, No.21, Greams Lane, Off Greams Road, Chennai, 600006, India

    Ashok Parameswaran

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  1. Nandini Sethuraman
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  2. M. A. Thirunarayan
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Nandini Sethuraman who also wrote the first draft. All authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Sethuraman, N., Thirunarayan, M.A., Gopalakrishnan, R. et al. Talaromyces marneffei Outside Endemic Areas in India: an Emerging Infection with Atypical Clinical Presentations and Review of Published Reports from India. Mycopathologia 185, 893–904 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11046-019-00420-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11046-019-00420-0

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