Transmission of Invasive Aspergillosis From a Subclinically Infected Donor to Three Different Organ Transplant Recipients

Donor-Derived Fungal Infections in Organ Transplant Recipients: Guidelines of the American Society of Transplantation, Infectious Diseases Community of Practice

“…Such infections frequently originate at the graft site and are associated with high rates of graft loss (105,106). Unrecognized infection in two donors (who were themselves transplant recipients) from whom multiple organs were recovered was associated with invasive aspergillosis (IA) in several recipients (107,108). Although not diagnosed at the time of death, both donors were critically ill transplant recipients with risk factors for IA (rejection, renal failure or depleting antibody receipt) and abnormal CNS and/or pulmonary manifestations/imaging results consistent with disseminated IA (107,108).…”

Fungal and Parasitic Infections of the Eye

“…Endophthalmitis, therefore, is the sole manifestation of disseminated disease and must be established by aspiration of the vitreous (281). Aspergillus endophthalmitis has also arisen in recipients of solid-organ transplants, in which the donated organ was the likely source of the fungus (16,139). Pathologic specimens of invasive aspergillosis usually demonstrate angioinvasion by the hyphae, and thus Aspergillus species may possess a tropism for vascular tissue (279).…”

Many faces of pulmonary aspergillosis

“…DENNING et al [66] found itraconazole to be as effective as amphotericin-B, however, its role needs to be further studied. Itraconazole is also used empirically as a prophylaxis against aspergillus in high-risk patients with neutropenia or on long-term corticosteroid therapy [67][68][69][70][71].…”