A fatal infection due to Fusarium oxysporum in a child with Wilms' tumour. Case report and review of the literature.

Fusarium oxysporum was isolated twice from the blood culture of a 5-year-old boy with inoperable Wilms' tumour (stage IV) 4 weeks after a cytoreductive therapy with actinomycin D, vincristine and adriamycin. The child died 3 weeks after the first isolation of the fungus with signs of hepatic failure and consumptive coagulopathy. The importance of infection with Fusarium spp. in immunocompromised neutropenic patients and their pathogenetic role are discussed in the view of the literature.