Catheter-related cutaneous aspergillosis complicated by fungemia and fatal pulmonary infection in an HIV-positive patient with acute lymphocytic leukemia.

A case of intravenous catheter-related cutaneous aspergillosis and Aspergillus fumigatus fungemia in an HIV-positive patient with Burkitt-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia is reported. The patient developed pulmonary aspergillosis with a rapidly fatal outcome despite recovery from neutropenia and improvement of the underlying malignancy. The unusual severity and rapid spread of the infection, despite normal neutrophil count and prompt antifungal therapy, suggest that HIV-related immunocompromise might play a role in the impairment of host defences against Aspergillus infection. Thus catheter-related cutaneous aspergillosis could lead to a severe deep-seated infection in HIV-positive patients.