Precision Medicine Approach Using Triple Combination Antifungal Therapy for Fusarium Brain Abscesses and Endocarditis in an Adult Burn Patient

• Published in: Military medicine 2024-06
• Main Authors: Barrios, Evan L, Drabick, Zachary, Rodriguez, John, Fahy, Brenda G, Cochran, Amalia L, Driscoll, Ian R, Munden, Andrea M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1930-613X
• DOI: 10.1093/milmed/usae284

We report a management strategy for disseminated Fusarium solani fungal infection in an adult 35% total body surface area burn patient with brain abscesses and concomitant pulmonic valve endocarditis resulting in the longest survival reported in a burn patient. Early in his hospital course, the patient was diagnosed with a Fusarium burn wound infection with concomitant fungemia and was treated with a prolonged course of intravenous (IV) antifungal monotherapy. Shortly thereafter, he developed focal neurologic deficits and was found to have brain abscesses on MRI. He underwent emergent craniotomy with debridement, and triple antifungal therapy was initiated. Transesophageal echocardiography demonstrated pulmonic valve vegetations, which resolved with triple antifungal therapy. Disseminated Fusarium solani infection is quite rare with mortality approaching 100%. Given the rarity of this disease process, there are no established antifungal treatment guidelines. However, this patient survived for approximately 1 year after diagnosis with treatment including source control via craniotomy and debridement coupled with prolonged courses of combination antifungal therapy (given the near pan-resistance of his fungal infection). Pharmacogenomic testing was utilized to establish the patient's metabolism of voriconazole and dosing adjusted accordingly to improve the efficacy of the combination therapy. To our knowledge, an adult burn patient surviving this length of time after Fusarium brain abscesses with disseminated infection has not been previously described.