Health alert after fungal infection kills 6-year-old patient

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Health alert after fungal infection kills 6-year-old patient

AdeleWong

The Standard - Hong Kong

Thursday, February 12, 2009

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?

pp_cat=30 & art_id=78101 & sid=22670272 & con_type=3

An infection caused by fungus that resists high temperatures and can

be spread by wooden chopsticks has killed one of three sufferers over

the past year, Queen Hospital said yesterday.

A retrospective record check has suggested a 57-year-old man was also

killed by the fungal infection known as gastrointestinal

mucormycosis, which has a fatality rate of more than 50 percent.

The infection mainly affects those with weakened immune systems.

Although mucormycosis is rare, the fungus related to the infection,

known as rhizopus microsporus, is quite common and often found in

foods and wooden material. Queen Hospital department of

microbiology honorary consultant Yuen Kwok-yung said there had been

three such cases at the hospital in the past year.

He urged people with weak immune systems, especially those suffering

from leukemia, lymphoma, or severe diabetes, to take heed when eating

packaged foods which can contain the fungus.

" A [six-year-old] boy died on November 26 last year of ileocecal

mucormycosis. He was an acute lymphoblastic leukemia patient. Samples

of his intestines showed serious damage due to the fungal infection, "

Yuen said.

He suspected the fungus got into the boy's body through food or

medicines he had ingested.

" Spores of the fungus can be inhaled into the organs. Normal people

who come into contact with the fungus will be able to handle it, but

high-risk people can get the infection much easier, " Yuen said.

" High-risk people shou

ld not eat uncooked foods or use wooden chopsticks. They should also

be aware of packaged foods since these might contain the fungus,

which is harmless to the average person but can be dangerous for

someone with a weak immune system. "

Yuen said a person could come in contact with rhizopus microsporus

through inhaling spores from the air or even through the wooden

tongue depressors doctors use to inspect patients' throats.

He added the fungus could live in temperatures of up to 50 degrees

Celsius but can be killed at 80 degrees.

An 11-year-old boy being treated for acute myeloid leukemia was found

to have contracted mucormycosis in January after complaining of lower

abdominal pains. The most recent case was yesterday when a 38-year-

old man diagnosed with leukemia developed appendicitis due to the

fungal infection.

The hospital has since started screening high-risk patients and

discovered another three from the bone marrow transplant unit whose

stool tested positive for the fungus. Following the discoveries, the

hospital has begun clearing ventilation, sterilizing equipment and

conducting kitchen, food, and drugs tests.

It has also stopped admissions to its bone marrow transplant unit due

to lack of supply of the antifungal drug that can be used to treat

mucormycosis patients.

A Centre for Health Protection spokesman said it will liaise with the

Hospital Authority on the issue.