Talaromycosis
Talaromycosis is an infection caused by Talaromyces marneffei.Symptoms
The most common symptoms are fever, skin lesions, anemia, generalized lymphadenopathy, and hepatomegaly.Diagnosis
Diagnosis is usually made by identification of the fungus from clinical specimens. Biopsies of skin lesions, lymph nodes, and bone marrow demonstrate the presence of organisms on histopathology.Treatment
Talaromyces marneffei demonstrates in vitro susceptibility to multiple antifungal agents including ketoconazole, itraconazole, miconazole, flucytosine, and amphotericin B. Without treatment patients have a poor prognosis; death occur by liver failure as the fungus releases toxins in the bloodstream. The elevation of liver enzyme in the blood helps to establish a diagnosis.Epidemiology
Once considered rare, its occurrence has increased due to AIDS. It is now the third most common opportunistic infection in HIV-positive individuals within the endemic area of Southeast Asia.
