Osteomyelitis and aortic arteritis with thrombosis as primary manifestations of severe paracoccidioidomycosis: a case report

Resumen

Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) configures a deep mycosis caused by Paracoccidioides spp., a neglected tropical disease. We describe a fatal case of PCM that manifested itself as osteomyelitis with thrombosis in the iliac artery in a man with frequent contact with an endemic region in Sao Paulo, Brazil. A 67-year-old man living in an endemic area presented with osteomyelitis of the femur and iliac artery thrombosis on admission to the hospital. Computed tomography of the chest showed multiple cavitated pulmonary nodules. The patient rapidly progressed to irreversible respiratory failure. The autopsy showed disseminated PCM and iliac artery thrombosis. Laboratory investigation confirmed P. brasiliensis infection with a strain identified in Sao Paulo as P. brasiliensis complex by phylogenetic analysis. Atypical PCM remains a diagnostic challenge. Increased awareness of the sites of infection and its clinical presentations will improve patient management.